BY AHMED AKANBI
The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, has rejected applications to stay proceedings in two appeals arising from the ongoing trial over the 2018 Offa bank robbery.
The ruling means the Kwara State High Court can continue hearing the case, with proceedings scheduled to resume on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
The appellate court, presided over by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, however granted the appellants’ request to abridge the time for filing 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 Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Ahmed’s former 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, told the court his clients were served with the respondents’ brief on November 2, 2026.
He asked the court to reduce the time to file a reply brief to four days and to stay proceedings at the trial court pending determination of the appeals.
Responding, Rafiu Balogun, SAN, said the first respondent had no objection to abridging time but opposed the stay.
Balogun argued that a stay did not apply to criminal proceedings and accused the appellants of trying to frustrate the trial.
He urged the court to dismiss the application.
However, Kehinde Eleja, SAN, said he had no objection to either application and urged the court to invoke Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to order a stay, arguing that continuing the trial could render the appeals nugatory.
The appellate court ultimately declined to halt the criminal proceedings but granted the abridged timeline for filing 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.