Families Of Offa Robbery Victims Sue Kwara Govt, Ex-Governors Saraki, Ahmed; Seek N2.1Billion In Compensation

The families of victims of the infamous 2018 Offa robbery have filed a lawsuit at the Ilorin High Court, demanding N2.1 billion in compensation from the Kwara State government.

The claimants—Abraham Oluwafemi Makinde, Lateef Taiye Raheem, Adeshina Felemo Ayesanmi, and Monsurat Aramide Adebayo—accuse the government, as well as former Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, of being politically linked to the attackers.

The victims’ families allege that their relatives were among those killed during the armed robbery that took place on April 5, 2018, at the Owode Police Station and several banks in Offa.

In their legal petition, they seek financial redress for the tragedy that rocked the community, holding both the state government and the former political leaders responsible for enabling the attack.

Court documents reveal that the claimants accused the state government of being complicit in the deadly attack, claiming that stolen items were hidden at the Government House during Ahmed’s time in office.

They also noted that the robbers, now convicted, confessed to being political operatives tied to Saraki’s political network.

The claimants cited statements from one of the convicts, Ayoade Akinnibosun (alias AY), who allegedly implicated Saraki and Ahmed as their supporters.

Akinnibosun claimed they were used as political thugs, sent to disrupt elections when their sponsors were not victorious.

The claimants argue that these connections gave the robbers the confidence to carry out the attack, which led to the deaths of over 35 people, including police officers and civilians.

Makinde, one of the claimants, revealed that he is the husband of Grace, a pregnant police officer killed in the assault.

Meanwhile, another claimant, Raheem, shared that his brother, Fatai, the family’s primary provider, left behind two elderly parents, two wives, and five children.

Ayesanmi, the eldest son of the late ASP Ayesanmi, and Adebayo, the widow of Kaseem, a bank employee who was murdered, are also seeking justice.

The families are being represented by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) J.J. Usman, Yakubu Philemon, M.I. Abubakar, and A.O.F. Philip.

However, they are seeking a total of N1.5 billion in compensation, N500 million in general damages, and N100 million for legal fees.