Court of Appeal affirms death sentences of five men convicted in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, rejecting appeals for lack of merit

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin on Friday affirmed the death sentences of five men convicted for their roles in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing their appeals for lack of merit.

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The unanimous decision was delivered by a three-man panel comprising Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, Justice Gabriel Kolawole and Justice Abdul Dogo.

The appellate court upheld the judgment of Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced the appellants to death by hanging.

The convicts are Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun and Adeola Abraham. In its ruling, the Court of Appeal rejected all grounds of appeal raised by the defendants, describing them as unsubstantiated, and ordered that the convicts be returned immediately to prison custody.

The convictions stemmed from a coordinated bank robbery carried out in April 2018 in Offa, headquarters of Offa Local Government Area in Kwara State, during which five commercial banks were attacked.

The operation left no fewer than 32 people dead, including nine police officers.

The appellants were found guilty of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide. A sixth defendant, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial commenced.

Justice Saleeman had sentenced the five convicts to death after a trial lasting approximately six years, which drew widespread national attention due to the scale and brutality of the crime.

Reacting to the Court of Appeal ruling, lead prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the decision as thorough and well-considered, despite delays that marked the prolonged trial process.

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Counsel to one of the convicts, Mr Abdullah Jimba, said arrangements were being made to approach the Supreme Court for a final appeal.