The Court of Appeal, sitting in Ilorin Judicial Division in Kwara State, has upheld the death sentences on five convicted 2018 Offa bank robbery suspects, dismissing all grounds of appeal filed by the convicts as lacking merit.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that 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 began.
The presiding judge, Justice Haleemah Salman, of the Kwara State High Court initially handed down the death sentences after a six-year trial that drew nationwide attention.
The Court found them guilty and sentenced them to death by hanging.
They later filed an appeal to vacate the judgment which has now been dismissed by the Court of Appeal judges.
The Court dismissed all their grounds and upheld that their conviction should stand. They have been taken back to the prison waiting for the enforcement of the judgment by hanging.
The Court official 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 offences were linked to a violent robbery that targeted five banks in Offa Local Government Area, Kwara State, leaving at least 32 people dead, including nine Police officers, two of whom were women.
They were later arrested after the incident and charged before the presiding judge, Justice Haleemah Salman, of the Kwara State High Court for trial which lasted for six years.
Delivering the judgment that lasted 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 imposed three-year prison terms for illegal possession of firearms, in accordance with Nigeria’s penal code.
The lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), commended the judgment, describing it as “thorough” despite numerous delays during the trial.
Meanwhile, defence counsel, Barrister Abdullah Jimba, said he is preparing necessary documents for a final appeal to the Supreme Court.