Sunday, February 1, 2026 - The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday dismissed the appeals of five men convicted over the 2018 Offa bank robbery, upholding their death sentences.
The appellate court, in a
unanimous verdict delivered by Justices Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Gabriel
Kolawole, and Abdul Dogo, affirmed the judgement of the Kwara State High Court,
which sentenced the convicts to death by hanging.
The five men — Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle
Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham — were found guilty of armed
robbery, culpable homicide, and illegal 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, the Kwara State Director of
Public Prosecution, Mohammed Akande, said the Court of Appeal found no reason
to interfere with the trial court’s judgement.
“The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, comprising Hon.
Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi JCA, Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole JCA, and
Hon. Justice Abdul Dogo JCA, on Friday affirmed the judgement of Hon. Justice
H. A. Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced the appellants —
Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola
Abraham — to death by hanging for their involvement in the Offa bank robbery,”
the statement said.
“The appellants failed to establish any miscarriage of
justice. The Court of Appeal agreed with the High Court that the prosecution
proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and upheld the convictions.
“The court dismissed all their grounds of appeal and upheld
their convictions. They have been taken back to prison,” it added.
It will be recalled that Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the
Kwara State High Court handed down the death sentences after a six-year trial
that drew nationwide attention.
In her four-hour judgement, the trial judge noted 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 penalty, the court also sentenced
the convicts to three years’ imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms.
Lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the
appellate court’s judgement as “thorough and well-considered,” saying it
reaffirmed the strength of the case against the convicts despite delays that
prolonged the trial.
On the defence side, counsel to one of the convicts,
Abdullah Jimba, said preparations were underway to file a final appeal at the
Supreme Court.
Recall that Ayoade Akinnibosun, Salawu Azeez,
Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham were convicted of armed
robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.
A sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer,
died in custody before the commencement of the trial.
The convictions arose from the April 2018 coordinated bank
robbery in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, during which five
commercial banks were attacked.
At least 32 people, including nine police officers, were
killed in the incident, making it one of the deadliest bank robberies in
Nigeria’s history.
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