The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Judicial Division, on Friday upheld the death sentences of five individuals convicted for their roles in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing all grounds of appeal filed by the convicts as lacking merit.
“The court has dismissed all their grounds and upheld that their conviction should stand. They have been taken back to the prison,” a court official present during the proceedings informed SaharaReporters.
The official further stated, “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 convicts—Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham—were found guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide. The sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial commenced.
These offences were connected to a violent robbery that targeted five banks in the Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, resulting in the deaths of at least 32 individuals, including nine police officers, two of whom were women.
Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court initially handed down the death sentences following a six-year trial that garnered nationwide attention.
Delivering a judgment that spanned over four hours, Justice Salman stated that the convicts “acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray.”
In addition to the death sentence by hanging, the court also imposed three-year prison terms for illegal possession of firearms, in accordance with Nigeria’s penal code.
Lead prosecution counsel, Barrister Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), praised the judgment, describing it as “thorough” despite the numerous delays throughout the trial.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Barrister Abdullah Jimba indicated that his principal was preparing the necessary documents for a final appeal to the Supreme Court.
This ruling marks a significant step in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against violent crime, particularly high-profile bank robberies.
