Appeal Court affirms death sentences for five Offa Bank robbery convicts
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin has upheld the death sentences earlier passed on five men convicted for their roles in the deadly 2018 Offa bank robbery in Kwara State.
In a judgment that lasted over four hours, the appellate court dismissed all the appeals filed by the convicts, ruling that they lacked merit and affirming the earlier verdict of the Kwara State High Court.
A court official who monitored the proceedings disclosed that, “The court has dismissed all their grounds and upheld that their conviction should stand. They have been taken back to the prison.”
The official, however, noted that the convicts still have a final option at the Supreme Court. “Although they still have one more right to appeal to the Supreme Court, the reality is that the grounds of their appeals before the Court of Appeal were not convincing. If they rely on the same grounds, the Supreme Court may dismiss them too,” the source said.
Those affected by the judgment are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham. They were convicted for illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery and culpable homicide. A sixth suspect, a retired police officer identified as Michael Adikwu, died in custody before the commencement of the trial.
The offences stemmed from the bloody April 2018 attack on five commercial banks in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, during which at least 32 persons were killed, including nine police officers, two of them women.
Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court had originally sentenced the five men to death by hanging after a lengthy six-year trial that attracted nationwide attention.
While delivering the original judgment, Justice Salman held that the convicts “acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray.”
Beyond the death penalty_toggle, the trial court also sentenced them to additional three-year jail terms for illegal possession of firearms in line with Nigeria’s penal laws.
Reacting to the Appeal Court verdict, lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the decision as well deserved. He said the judgment was “thorough” despite the many delays that characterised the trial.
On his part, defence counsel, Barrister Abdullah Jimba, insisted that the legal battle was not yet over, revealing that his client was preparing to approach the Supreme Court. According to him, necessary documents for the final appeal were already being put together.
The latest ruling is being seen as a major boost to the fight against violent crimes and high-profile armed robberies in Nigeria, particularly in Kwara State where the 2018 Offa attack left families and communities in deep mourning. — with Daniel Victoria Temitope and 11 others in Offa.
