Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court in Nigeria has sentenced five suspects involved in the notorious Offa bank robbery to death. The court found the defendants guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.
Delivering the judgment, which lasted three and a half hours, Justice Salman stated, “The evidence submitted by the prosecution was overwhelming and has established the guilt of the accused.” The judge emphasized that the severity of the crimes warranted the death penalty, declaring, “These offenses are punishable by death.”
The convicts—Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran—were found guilty, while a sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, died in custody. In addition to the death sentence, Justice Salman imposed a three-year prison term for the illegal possession of firearms, underscoring the gravity of such actions: “This endangers the safety of the public.”
This ruling comes six years after the April 2018 robbery, during which over 30 people, including nine policemen, were killed. An undisclosed amount of money was stolen from at least five commercial banks in Offa, Kwara State. The heist made national headlines and caused widespread shock.
Following the robbery, then-Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed announced a N5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of the suspects, stating, “The governor is offering N5 million bounty to anyone who provides information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of those suspected to be involved in this act.”
The prosecution counsel expressed gratitude for the court’s decision, citing various delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and national assignments that affected the judge’s schedule. The representative stated, “We appreciate the court’s dedication to seeing this case through.”
In contrast, the defense counsel announced plans to appeal the ruling, asserting, “We believe there are grounds for an appeal and will pursue this matter further.”
