EXCLUSIVE: Top Government Officials Secretly Plot Release Of Sarkin Fulani, Alhaji Adamu Convicted For Kidnapping In Kwara State

There is an ongoing secret plot by some influential government officials, including those in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to secure the release of Alhaji Usman Adamu, a convicted Sarkin Fulani in Kwara State, who is serving a life sentence for kidnapping, SaharaReporters has gathered.

A judiciary staff familiar with the matter confided in SaharaReporters that the convicted Fulani leader is leveraging his powerful connections within the government to subvert justice and regain his freedom, despite his conviction for serious crimes.

“Surprisingly, the Serikin Fulani has appealed his conviction and he is trying to use all his connections in the government to ensure he is released,” the source told SaharaReporters.

“The man’s family, particularly his cousins, met with Senator Sheu Buba from Bauchi and Sheu took them to Nuhu Ribadu. It was the NSA that reached out to the Kwara State Ministry of Justice. And as we speak, the ministry is doing nothing to stop his release; it is more like they are helping him.”

SaharaReporters also learnt that the convicted kidnap kingpin’s legal team has filed a bail application before the Court of Appeal on alleged health grounds. The hearing for the bail application was held on July 16, 2025.

While filing a bail application pending appeal is within Adamu’s constitutional rights, the source raised concerns about how the Kwara State Ministry of Justice, which is supposed to vehemently oppose such applications, appears to be compromised.

“The lawyer from the Kwara State Ministry of Justice who was supposed to argue strongly against this application appeared like he’s already compromised. He did not do his job well. In fact, there was a time he said he could not see the files of the case in his office,” the source revealed.

According to the insider, the state lawyer even aligned with the arguments of Adamu’s defence counsel, agreeing that the convicted kidnapper is sick,  a tactic designed to persuade the Court of Appeal to grant him bail.

“The lawyer of Serikin Fulani is pleading to court to grant his bail on health grounds and funnily, the lawyer from Kwara State Ministry of Justice said he is also aware that the man is sick. Whereas his job is to argue strongly against the application. But the state lawyer is behaving this way because of the strong backing Serikin Fulani is getting from the NSA and Senator Sheu’s office,” the source said.

It was further gathered that even the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is not aware of these clandestine moves.

“We are afraid that if the situation does not change before the next adjourned date, the man, Serikin Fulani, will be granted bail by the Court of Appeal,” the judiciary source warned.

SaharaReporters learnt that the next adjourned date for the bail application is October 7, 2025.

All efforts to get the reaction of the Chief Press Secretary to Kwara Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye proved abortive. He did not pick up repeated calls and yet to respond to messages sent to him.  

In December 2023, Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin sentenced Alhaji Usman Adamu, his brother, and another accomplice, Gidado Idris, to life imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap and the commission of kidnapping.

The case, which was thoroughly investigated by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and prosecuted by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Kwara State, involved the kidnapping of one Abubakar Ahmad, who was held captive for 20 days while his abductors collected a ransom of N1 million for his release.

In her judgment, Justice Akinpelu ruled that the trio acted in concert to perpetrate the crime, noting that their physical presence at the crime scene was irrelevant to their culpability.

The judge remarked: “It is saddening and disturbing that community leaders charged with the welfare of their subjects could, because of the love for money, breach the security of the same subjects. They are hereby found guilty as charged and are so convicted.”

Justice Akinpelu sentenced them to life imprisonment in accordance with Section 15 of the Kwara State Anti-Kidnapping Law and ordered that N600,000 be paid to the victim as compensation.

Despite this conviction, powerful forces within the government appear determined to subvert justice for their own interests.