The families of victims of the 2018 Offa robbery have filed a suit seeking ₦2.1 billion in compensation from the Kwara State Government over the tragic incident that claimed the lives of their relatives.
Allegations of Complicity
In the suit filed at a high court in Ilorin, the claimants alleged that the state government was complicit in the robbery attack, which occurred on April 5, 2018, targeting the Nigeria Police Station, Owode, and several banks in Offa.
The families accused the administration of former Kwara Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed of harbouring items used in the crime, claiming that several exhibits from the robbery were allegedly seen at the Government House during his tenure.
They further alleged that the convicted robbers had confessed to being members of a political group associated with former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Claims Of Political Sponsorship
The claimants asserted that one of the convicted robbers, Ayoade Akinnibosun (aka AY), testified in court that Saraki and Ahmed were their political sponsors.
According to the suit, Akinnibosun confessed that they had acted as political thugs for Saraki and Ahmed, claiming that their association with these politicians emboldened them to carry out the robbery.
“The convicts confessed that they had been political thugs to the third (Saraki) and fourth (Ahmed) defendants, and that was what encouraged them to do what they did,” the claimants stated in court documents.
Compensation Sought
The families are demanding:
₦1.5 billion as compensation for the loss of their relatives;
₦500 million as general damages;
₦100 million to cover the cost of the suit.
They argued that many of the victims were breadwinners whose deaths had left their families in financial hardship.
Legal Representation and Defendants
The suit was filed by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) Johnson Usman, Yakubu Philemon, M. Abubakar, and A. Philip on behalf of the claimants, who include Abraham Makinde, Lateef Raheem, Adeshina Ayesanmi, and Monsurat Adebayo.
The defendants in the case are the current governor of Kwara State, the state attorney-general, former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, and former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
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