Appeal Court Rejects Bid To Halt Offa Bank R0bbery Trial Involving Ex-Kwara Governors Saraki, Ahmed
Appeal Court Rejects Bid To Halt Offa Bank Robbery Trial Involving Ex-Kwara Governors Saraki, Ahmed
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The decision means that the Kwara State High Court can continue hearing the case, with proceedings scheduled to resume on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, has rejected applications to stay proceedings in two separate appeals arising from the ongoing trial over the 2018 Offa bank robbery, ruling that there was no basis to halt the criminal matter.
The decision means that the Kwara State High Court can continue hearing the case, with proceedings scheduled to resume on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
However, the appellate court, presided over by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, granted the appellants’ request to abridge the time within which they are required to file their reply briefs.
The two appeals are Appeal No. CA/IL/4C/2026, involving Yusuf Abdulwahab against the People of Kwara State, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Ahmed’s former political aide, Alabi Olalekan.
The second, Appeal No. CA/IL/93C/2026, was filed by Alabi Olalekan against the People of Kwara State, Saraki, Ahmed and Ahmed’s former Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab.
Both appeals involved the same respondents and were argued by the same legal teams.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to the appellants, Jimoh Mumini, SAN, informed the court that his clients were served with the respondents’ brief on November 2, 2026.
He then asked the court to reduce the time allowed to file a reply brief to four days. He also sought an order staying proceedings at the trial court pending the determination of the appeals.
Responding, Rafiu Balogun, SAN, said the first respondent had no objection to the request to abridge time but opposed the application for a stay of proceedings.
Balogun argued that the application for a stay did not apply to criminal proceedings and accused the appellants of trying to frustrate the progress of the trial.
He urged the appellate court to dismiss the application.
However, Kehinde Eleja, SAN, said he had no objection to either application. He urged the court to invoke Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to order a stay, arguing that allowing the trial to continue could render the appeals nugatory.
The appellate court ultimately declined to halt the criminal proceedings but granted the request for an abridged timeline for filing the reply briefs.
The Offa robbery case stems from the April 5, 2018 attack on several commercial banks in Offa, Kwara State, during which gunmen reportedly stormed the town, killing several people, including police officers and civilians, and carting away cash.
SaharaReporters had previously reported developments surrounding the robbery and the ensuing prosecution, which drew national attention because of the scale of the attack and allegations involving prominent political figures.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed have been named in the proceedings, alongside other individuals. Their inclusion in the case does not, by itself, establish criminal responsibility.
The latest ruling clears the way for the trial court to continue proceedings while the Court of Appeal hears the appeals.
