Hearing resumes in 2018 Offa bank robbery case
17 January 2024 |
2:14 am
After about a year of last mention, hearing resumed, yesterday, in the April 5, 2018, Offa bank armed robbery case. Justice Halimat Salman of the Kwara State High Court heard the case.
After about a year of last mention, hearing resumed, yesterday, in the April 5, 2018, Offa bank armed robbery case. Justice Halimat Salman of the Kwara State High Court heard the case.
A policeman, Michael Adikwu (now late), Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham were arrested in connection with the robbery.
However, Akinnibosun and four others are standing trial in the case, which began on November 11, 2018. On April 5, 2018, suspected armed robbers attacked five commercial banks in Offa Local Council, killing over 30 persons, including nine policemen.
The culprits were charged to court by the police for criminal conspiracy to rob the banks, murder of nine of its men and other citizens, and illegal possession of firearms.
Adikwu died in police custody while the remaining five pleaded not guilty. Yesterday, Ogundiran was examined and cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe, and prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob, respectively. After the hearing, Jacob informed that the prosecution counsel had closed its case, while the defence team was calling its own witnesses for evidence.
He said the hearing would run for three days (Tuesday to Thursday) after which adoption of address by the two sides would be taken by the court. On the rather long time the case has dragged, the prosecution counsel said: “My Lord was taken to election tribunal for one year. That delayed the hearing. A lot of other things like strike and all the rest. Nobody liked it. That’s why we devoted three days to be able to conclude it this time around by Thursday and then we’ll address the court,” he said.
Emeribe, on his part, said two of the witnesses, Ogundiran and Abraham, were taken yesterday and they testified on the robbery in Offa for the defendants.
Ogundiran, while being cross examined, said he could not remember his date of birth, his age and how many years he stayed in secondary school before he dropped out.
However, while being examined by his counsel, the witness alleged that the statement he gave police was made under duress, saying he was tortured by the police who asked him to cooperate with them.
He also said that he was taken to his hometown in Oro for search of his house where N2,000 was found by a team of police investigators. Abraham a politician and a log trader, said he was arrested because of his political altercation with the former minister, Lai Mohammed, who he said was a party leader in the area.
“The police investigators told me that I would be taught lessons for speaking against Mohammed. They asked if we were Saraki Boys,” he disclosed.
Hearing continues today.
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