JUST IN: Kwara Court Reserves Final Decision on Offa Robbery Case

JUST IN: Kwara Court Reserves Final Decision on Offa Robbery Case

  • Justice Haleema Salman of the Kwara State High Court has postponed the ruling on the April 5, 2018 bank robbery case to August 2, 2024
  • The robbery resulted in the deaths of 33 people, including nine police officers, and affected five commercial banks
  • Five suspects, including Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham, are currently on trial, facing charges of criminal conspiracy, among others

Justice Haleema Salman of the Kwara State High Court has postponed the ruling in the case related to the bank robbery that occurred on April 5, 2018, in Offa Local Government Area.

The judgment for the six-year trial involving six suspects will now be delivered on August 2, 2024.

Hight court reserves ruling on Offa robbery case
Hight court reserves ruling on Offa robbery case Photo credit: @Lawman
Source: Twitter

33 die in Offa robbery

The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 33 individuals, including nine police officers, and involved five commercial banks, with a significant amount of money stolen.

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During the proceedings, both the prosecution and defense presented their written addresses sequentially, focusing on legal points submitted to the court, The Punch reported.

On Monday, July 15, the presiding judge accepted the final written submissions that included the arguments from both lead counsels: Rotimi Jacob (SAN) representing the state and Mathias Emeribe for the defense, Channels Television reported.

Court sets August 2 for final ruling

The presiding judge noted that the judgment date of August 2, 2024, is provisional.

It should be remembered that six individuals, including a police officer, Michael Adikwu (who is deceased), Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham, were apprehended in connection with the violent bank robbery.

Ayoade Akinnibosun and four others are presently on trial, with proceedings having started on November 11, 2018.

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The five suspects—Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, and two others—were brought to court by the police on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit bank robbery, the murder of nine police officers and other individuals, and illegal possession of firearms.

Michael Adikwu passed away while in police custody, while the other five defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Court to rule on Ganduje's fate on Sept 18

In another development, Legit.ng reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled September 18 to announce its decision on a lawsuit seeking the removal of Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date after all parties presented their final arguments in the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, filed by members of the North Central APC Forum, led by Saleh Zazzaga.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ezra Ukanwa avatar

Ezra Ukanwa (Editor) Ezra Ukanwa is a Reuters-certified journalist with over 5 years of professional experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Anchor University, Lagos. Currently, he is the Politics and Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng, where he brings his expertise to provide incisive, impactful coverage of national events. Ezra was recognized as Best Campus Journalist at the Anchor University Communications Awards in 2019 and is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). Contact him at: ezra.ukanwa@corp.legit.ng or +2349036989944