Families of 2018 Offa Robbery Victims Seek N2.1 Billion Compensation from Kwara Government

The families of victims of the 2018 Offa robbery have filed a lawsuit at the Ilorin High Court, seeking N2.1 billion in compensation from the Kwara State government. The claimants, including Abraham Oluwafemi Makinde, Lateef Taiye Raheem, Adeshina Felemo Ayesanmi, and Monsurat Aramide Adebayo, allege that their relatives were killed during the April 5, 2018, robbery at the Owode Police Station and various banks in Offa.

Defendants in the case include the Kwara State governor, the Attorney-General, former Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. The claimants accuse the state government of complicity in the attack, alleging that robbery evidence was concealed at the Government House during Ahmed’s tenure. They also cite confessions from convicted robbers, such as Ayoade Akinnibosun (alias AY), who claimed that Saraki and Ahmed were their political sponsors and that the robbers acted as political operatives disrupting elections.

The families argue that these affiliations emboldened the robbers and contributed to the devastation of the attack, which resulted in over 35 deaths, including those of police officers and civilians. Makinde, whose pregnant wife, a police officer, was killed, Raheem, who lost his brother Fatai, Ayesanmi, the son of ASP Ayesanmi, and Adebayo, the wife of murdered bank employee Kaseem, are all seeking redress.

Represented by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) J.J. Usman, Yakubu Philemon, M.I. Abubakar, and A.O.F. Philip, the families are demanding N1.5 billion in compensation, N500 million in general damages, and N100 million in legal costs.