Nigeria: Saraki Accuses Kwara Government of Political Persecution After Dropping 18 Offa Robbery Charges
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki is pointing to a very specific number: 18. That is how many charges the Kwara State government recently dropped in connection with the 2018 Offa bank robbery case, and Saraki says the move proves what he has been saying all along, that the prosecution against him was never really about justice.
Saraki made clear that the decision by the Kwara government to withdraw those charges only strengthens his position that the entire case was built on political motives, not legal ones. For years, he maintained that the robbery allegations were being used as a tool against him, and in his view, this latest development is the confirmation.
The Offa robbery remains one of the most painful chapters in recent Kwara history. Dozens of people were killed during the attack on multiple banks in the town in April 2018, and the case drew national attention almost immediately. The fact that charges are now being dropped, without full public explanation, is raising fresh questions about how the matter was handled from the beginning.
Whether this closes the chapter for Saraki politically or reopens a broader conversation about how criminal cases get weaponised in Nigerian politics is the question worth watching now.
Originally published by AllAfrica.