Court docket upholds dying sentences for 5 Offa theft convicts

The Court docket of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday dismissed the appeals of 5 males convicted over the 2018 Offa financial institution theft, upholding their dying sentences.

PidomNigeria On-line stories that the appellate court docket, in a unanimous verdict delivered by Justices Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Gabriel Kolawole, and Abdul Dogo, affirmed the judgement of the Kwara State Excessive Court docket, which sentenced the convicts to dying by hanging.

The 5 males — Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham — had been discovered responsible of armed theft, culpable murder, and unlawful possession of firearms in reference to coordinated assaults on 5 business banks in Offa Native Authorities Space in April 2018.

In a press release on Saturday, the Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Akande, stated the Court docket of Appeal discovered no purpose to intervene with the trial court docket’s judgement.

“The Court docket of Appeal, Ilorin Division, comprising Hon. Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi JCA, Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole JCA, and Hon. Justice Abdul Dogo JCA, on Friday affirmed the judgement of Hon. Justice H. A. Saleeman of the Kwara State Excessive Court docket, which sentenced the appellants — Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham — to dying by hanging for his or her involvement within the Offa financial institution theft,” the assertion stated.

“The appellants failed to ascertain any miscarriage of justice. The Court docket of Appeal agreed with the Excessive Court docket that the prosecution proved its case past affordable doubt and upheld the convictions.

“The court docket dismissed all their grounds of attraction and upheld their convictions. They’ve been taken again to jail,” it added.

It is going to be recalled that Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State Excessive Court docket handed down the dying sentences after a six-year trial that drew nationwide consideration.

In her four-hour judgement, the trial decide famous that the convicts “acted opposite to the legislation and allowed their connections with these in energy on the time to steer them astray.”

Along with the dying penalty, the court docket additionally sentenced the convicts to a few years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of firearms.

Lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the appellate court docket’s judgement as “thorough and well-considered,” saying it reaffirmed the energy of the case in opposition to the convicts regardless of delays that extended the trial.

On the defence aspect, counsel to one of many convicts, Abdullah Jimba, stated preparations had been underway to file a ultimate attraction on the Supreme Court docket.

It recollects that Ayoade Akinnibosun, Salawu Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham had been convicted of armed theft, unlawful possession of firearms, and culpable murder.

A sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody earlier than the graduation of the trial.

The convictions arose from the April 2018 coordinated financial institution theft in Offa Native Authorities Space of Kwara State, throughout which 5 business banks had been attacked.

No less than 32 individuals, together with 9 law enforcement officials, had been killed within the incident, making it one of many deadliest financial institution robberies in Nigeria’s historical past.