The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has affirmed the death sentence imposed on five men found guilty in connection with the 2018 Offa bank robbery, throwing out their appeals for lacking substance.
In a unanimous ruling delivered virtually via Zoom on Friday, the appellate court sustained the judgement of the Kwara State High Court, which condemned the convicts to death by hanging for their involvement in the violent robbery.
The panel of justices—Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, Justice Gabriel Kolawole and Justice Abdul Dogo—held that the prosecution established its case beyond reasonable doubt and saw no justification to set aside the earlier decision.
Those affected by the ruling are Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun and Adeola Abraham.
The Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Akande, confirmed that the appellate court maintained the convictions and sentences earlier delivered by Justice Haleemah Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court.
All the grounds of appeal raised by the convicts were dismissed, and the men were directed to be returned immediately to prison custody.
The five men were found guilty of armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms and culpable homicide.
The sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial commenced.
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.
No fewer than 32 people were killed in the incident, including nine police officers—two of them female—making it one of the deadliest bank robberies in Nigeria’s history.
Justice Haleemah Saleeman had earlier sentenced the convicts to death by hanging after a trial that lasted almost six years and drew nationwide attention. She also imposed additional three-year jail terms for illegal possession of firearms.
