The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday upheld the death sentences imposed on five men convicted for their roles in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing their appeals for lacking merit.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision delivered by a three-man panel, affirmed the earlier judgment of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced the convicts to death by hanging.
Speaking to journalists after the proceedings, the state’s Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed Akande, confirmed that the panel—comprising Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, and Justice Abdul Dogo—found no reason to disturb the trial court’s verdict.
“The Court of Appeal unanimously agreed that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and therefore affirmed the judgment of the High Court,” Akande said.
The appellants—Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Adeola Abraham—were convicted of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.
Another court official disclosed that all grounds of appeal filed by the convicts were rejected, and the court ordered their immediate return to prison custody.
Although the convicts retain the right to approach the Supreme Court, the official noted that the arguments canvassed at the Court of Appeal were unconvincing and unlikely to succeed if refiled at the apex court.
The convictions arose from the April 2018 coordinated bank robbery in Offa Local Government Area, during which five commercial banks were attacked. At least 32 people were killed, including nine police officers, making it one of the deadliest bank robbery incidents in Nigeria’s history.
A sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial commenced.
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Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court had earlier sentenced the five men to death after a trial that lasted nearly six years and drew national attention. In her judgment, she held that the prosecution established the charges beyond reasonable doubt, adding 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, the trial court also imposed three-year prison terms for illegal possession of firearms.
Lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), described the appellate court’s ruling as comprehensive and well-reasoned, despite the prolonged nature of the trial.
On the defence side, Abdullah Jimba, counsel to one of the convicts, confirmed that preparations were underway to pursue a final appeal at the Supreme Court.