By Kehinde Akinpelu
Ilorin
The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Judicial Division, Kwara State presided over by Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, has rejected requests for stay of proceedings in two separate appeals on the Offa Robbery matter.
The first appeal with Appeal No. CA/IL/4C/2026 was the matter between Yusuf Abdulwahab versus The People of Kwara State, the former Senate President, Olubukola Abubakar Saraki; the former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Ahmed’s former political aide, Alabi Olalekan.
The second matter with Appeal No. CA/IL/93C/2026 was between Alabi Olalekan versus the People of Kwara State, the former Senate President, Olubukola Abubakar Saraki; the former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Ahmed’s former Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab.
There were same appearances and same positions in both appeals.
J. A. Mumini, (SAN), led A. T. Ahmed for the Appellant; Chief R. O. Balogun, (SAN), led Ayoola Idowu Akande, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Prof. Adua Ismail Mustapha, N. A. Sulyman Esq, S. I. Shehu Esq, B. L. Abdulsalam (ACSC), H. O. Busari and I. A. Olorundare (SSC) for the People of Kwara State as the 1st Respondent.
K. K. Eleja, (SAN), led Abimbola Ademola (SAN) with I. A. Adedo Esq for the 2nd respondent while A. R. Abdulrahman was for the 3rd respondent.
J. A. Mumini, SAN, further informed the Court that he is representing the 4th respondent.
Information obtained on Wednesday on the court proceedings of 3rd November 2026, also showed that J. A. Mumini, (SAN), after introducing the appeal informed the court that the appellant was served with the respondent’s brief on the 2nd November, 2026.
He prayed the court for abridgment of time within which to file reply brief within four days and further applied for stay of proceedings in the matter before the trial court.
Chief R. O. Balogun, (SAN), submitted that the 1st respondent has no objection to the abridgment of time to reply but vehemently opposed the application for stay of proceedings which he submitted is now unknown to criminal matters.
He submitted further that the appeal is an obvious attempt to frustrate the progress of the matter before the trial court and urged the court to refuse the application.
K. K. Eleja, (SAN), submitted that he has no objection to the two applications and further urged the court to enforce Section 15 of the Courts Act to order for stay of proceedings as, according to him, the continuation of proceedings before the trial court may render the appeal nugatory.
The counsel to the 3rd respondent also said he had no objection to the applications of the appellants.
Balogun, (SAN), submitted further that the provision of section 15 empowering the Court of Appeal to make an order is only to the extent of an order which the High Court is capable of making.
He further urged the court to refuse the application.
The court in a short ruling granted the application for abridgment of time within which to file the reply brief by the appellants but emphatically refused the application for stay of proceedings.
He submitted that the court is a court of record and there’s no reason to stay proceeding in the criminal matters.
In view of the decision, the proceedings of High Court Justice, Erin Ile Judicial Division of Hon Justice Osuolale on the offa robbery case will continue on 5th November 2026.
Sources said the appeals are consequences of the Offa robbery case.
The accused persons in that case were prosecuted and convicted by the High Court of Kwara State.
Their appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division.
During their trials, Saraki and others were allegedly linked to the case.
Reports have it that victims of the Offa robbery later took the Kwara State Government and Ahmed to court in civil proceedings. They argued that Saraki and Ahmed should be prosecuted.
The Kwara State Government later filed a fresh 20-count charge (Case No: KWS/114C/26) before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin against Saraki; the three other defendants over the 2018 Offa bank robbery,accusing the defendants of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
Saraki, Ahmed and other defendants had strongly denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
