Kwara State High Court has sentenced five suspects involved in the 2018 Offa bank robbery to death by hanging. The judgment was delivered on Thursday after the court found the prosecution had successfully proven its case against the defendants.
The suspects—Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham—were convicted on three counts: illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit culpable homicide punishable by death.
Justice Haleema Salman, who presided over the case, allowed the convicts to make a plea for mercy, known as allocutus, before pronouncing the final judgment. Despite their plea, the judge sentenced all five to death by hanging, stating, “The five of you shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead, to serve as a lesson to others.”
The robbery, which took place in April 2018, involved a group of armed robbers who attacked and robbed at least five commercial banks in Offa, an ancient town in Kwara State. The incident resulted in the deaths of several people, including nine policemen, and the theft of an undisclosed sum of money.
The verdict is seen as a significant step towards justice for the victims of the tragic incident and a strong warning to others against engaging in such criminal activities.
