A Kwara State High Court has handed down a death sentence to five men who have been convicted of involvement in the robbery of five commercial banks in Offa.
The robbery, which led to the death of 33 people, was carried out in four commercial banks on April 4, 2018 at Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, nine Police officers were killed in the attack and the robbery lasted for one hour. The armed robbers used dynamite in the attack, Police said.
The five convicts are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham.
Ayoade Akinnibosun is reputed to be the gang leader and was the chairman of Liberation Youth Movement, Kwara State. He reportedly studied Guidance & Counselling at Ekiti State University; and reports said he confessed to working for a former president of the Senate, as well as a former governor of Kwara State.
The verdict was delivered by Justice Haleema Salman on Thursday [today] afternoon after the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to convict the defendants on three counts: illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit culpable homicide punishable by death.
According to reports, the court allowed the convicts to make a plea of allocutus, or a plea of mercy, but ultimately sentenced all five to death by hanging. This verdict marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the Offa robbery.
“The five of you shall be hanged on your neck until you are dead to serve as a lesson to others,” the presiding judge stated in her ruling.
