…the Court of Appeal saw no grounds to alter the trial court’s verdict.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday dismissed the appeals of five men convicted for the 2018 Offa bank robbery, thereby upholding their death sentences.
According to reports, the appellate court, in a unanimous ruling delivered by Justices Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Gabriel Kolawole, and Abdul Dogo, affirmed the judgment of the Kwara State High Court, which had sentenced the men to death by hanging.
The convicts, Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham were found guilty of armed robbery, culpable homicide, and unlawful possession of firearms in connection with coordinated attacks on five commercial banks in Offa Local Government Area in April 2018.
In a statement on Saturday, Kwara State’s Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Akande, said the Court of Appeal saw no grounds to alter the trial court’s verdict.
”The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, consisting of Hon. Justices Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Gabriel Kolawole, and Abdul Dogo, on Friday upheld the ruling of Hon. Justice H. A. Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham to death by hanging for their role in the Offa bank robbery.
The appellants were unable to prove any miscarriage of justice. The Court of Appeal agreed with the High Court that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt and confirmed the convictions.
All grounds of appeal were dismissed, and the convicted individuals have been returned to prison.
It will be recalled that Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court sentenced the convicts to death following a six-year trial that captured national attention.
In a four-hour judgment, the judge noted that the defendants “acted against the law and allowed their ties to influential figures at the time to mislead them.”
Beyond the death sentences, the court also handed down three-year prison terms for the convicts’ illegal possession of firearms.
Lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the appellate court’s decision as “thorough and well-considered,” emphasizing that it reaffirmed the strength of the case despite the delays that extended the trial.
On the defense side, Abdullah Jimba, counsel to one of the convicts, stated that preparations were underway to file a final appeal at the Supreme Court.
The iNews Times recalls that Ayoade Akinnibosun, Salawu Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham were found guilty of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.
A sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial began.
The convictions stemmed from a coordinated bank robbery in April 2018 in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, where five commercial banks were attacked.
The incident claimed at least 32 lives, including nine police officers, making it one of the deadliest bank robberies in Nigeria’s history.
