The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin on Friday affirmed the death sentences imposed on five men convicted for their roles in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing their appeals for lack of merit. The appellate court, in a unanimous decision delivered by a three-man panel comprising Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, and Justice Abdul Dogo, upheld the judgment of Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced the appellants to death by hanging. The convicts are Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham.
In its ruling, the court rejected all the grounds of appeal canvassed by the appellants, describing them as unsubstantiated, and ordered that the convicts be returned immediately to prison custody. The convictions stemmed from a coordinated bank robbery carried out in April 2018 in Offa, the headquarters of Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, during which five commercial banks were attacked. The operation left no fewer than 32 people dead, including nine police officers. The appellants were found guilty of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.
A sixth defendant in the case, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial commenced. Justice Saleeman had sentenced the five convicts to death after a trial that lasted about six years and drew widespread national attention. Reacting to the judgment, the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the appellate court's ruling as thorough and well-considered, despite the prolonged delays that marked the trial process. Counsel to one of the convicts, Mr. Abdullah Jimba, said arrangements were being made to approach the Supreme Court for a final appeal.
