UPDATED: Five Offa Bank Robbers Bag Death Sentence

The Kwara State High Court on Thursday sentenced five suspects involved in the 2018 Offa bank robbery incident to death by hanging

Delivering Judgement, Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court found the five suspects guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery and culpable homicide.

According to the judge, the offences are punishable by death.

The gruesome robbery which took place on April 5, 2018, in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of the state, led to the murder of 32 persons, including nine policemen.

The police had arrested six suspects in connection with the robbery, but one of the suspects, a policeman, Michael Adikwu, said to be the leader of the gang, died in custody.

The rest of the suspects sentenced to death include Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham.

The judgment was meant to be delivered on August 2 but was postponed due to the nationwide protest that started on August 1, across the country.

The prosecution team led by Rotimi Jacob was in court while the lead defence counsel, Nathaniel Emeribe, was represented by A. S. Abdullahi.

In her Judgment, Justice Salman found the suspects guilty of the charges of culpable homicide, and armed robbery among others and ordered that they should be hung by the neck until they breathe no more.

The court held that the convicts robbed and killed innocent citizens during the robbery

The court further handed down three years imprisonment on the convicts for the offence of illegal possession of firearms based on the penal code law.

Justice Salman held that the convicts acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with power that be in government to lead them astray.