Delivering a judgment that lasted over four hours, Justice Salman stated that the convicts “acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray.”
The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Judicial Division, on Friday upheld the death sentences of five individuals convicted over the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing all grounds of appeal filed by the convicts as lacking merit.
“The court has dismissed all their grounds and upheld that their conviction should stand. They have been taken back to the prison,” a court official who witnessed the proceedings told SaharaReporters.
The official added, “Although they still have one more right to appeal to the Supreme Court, the reality is that the grounds of their appeals before the Court of Appeal were not convincing. If they rely on the same grounds, the Supreme Court may dismiss them too.”
The convicts, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham, were found guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide. The sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial began.
The offences were linked to a violent robbery that targeted five banks in Offa Local Government Area, Kwara State, leaving at least 32 people dead, including nine police officers, two of whom were women.
Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court initially handed down the death sentences after a six-year trial that drew nationwide attention.
Delivering a judgment that lasted over four hours, Justice Salman stated that the convicts “acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray.”
In addition to the death sentence by hanging, the court imposed three-year prison terms for illegal possession of firearms, in accordance with Nigeria’s penal code.
Lead prosecution counsel, Barrister Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), commended the judgment, describing it as “thorough” despite numerous delays during the trial.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Barrister Abdullah Jimba said his principal was preparing necessary documents for a final appeal to the Supreme Court.
The ruling marks a critical moment in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against violent crime, especially high-profile bank robberies.