Offa Banks Robbery: Untold story of Cpl Adikwu ex-SARS operatives
*His other robbery exploit
*How he was dismissed
…role in massacre of 9 policeman
By Ahmed Ajikobi
More facts have emerged on how the ex-Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Kwara State command, corporal Michael Adikwu, arrested in connection with the recent Offa banks robbery, was dismissed from service.
Adikwu is said to be one of the four robbery suspects earlier declared wanted by the police force over the bank robbery.
It was gathered that the suspect, an indigene of Benue State, was a station guard before he was relieved of his job in 2012.
A reliable source told this medium that Adikwu was arrested and dismissed from service for allegedly aiding and abetting armed robbers.
The robbers were said to have carried out an operation at the Kwara Hotel, Ilorin, sometime that year.
It was learnt that the suspect who was on night duty had left his duty post on the fateful day to Post Office area in Ilorin to eat when he got knowledge of a robbery attack at the hotel.
The source narrated, “The Igbo woman who owned the canteen where Adikwu went to eat informed him of a robbery operation at Kwara Hotel.
“He immediately went to the scene of the crime but was told that the robbers had finished their operation and escaped. Through intelligence he was able to trace the armed robbers to their hideout.
“Adikwu met them sharing their loot and threatened to get them arrested. The robbers begged him and offered to give him a share, which he accepted and let them go.
“Unfortunately for him, an operative of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) who was at the canteen when the corporal was informed of the robbery operation, also investigated the case.”
It was further gathered that following the investigation, the suspects were arrested and detained at the DSS office, where they made confessional statements, which implicated Adikwu.
The then state Commissioner of Police, was said to have been informed about the development, which led to the arrest of the suspect.
“A panel was set put to look into the matter and the resolution was that he should be dismissed and charged to court alongside the armed robbers.
“During interrogation at the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Adikwu threatened to kill some police officers if the command dismissed him from Nigeria Police Force,” the source further said.
The police told Pilot Crime that the suspect was jailed and freed two years ago, after serving 3-year-term.
“It is believed that he reconnected with some robbers who were with him in prison to form a robbery gang.
“He has made good his threat made in 2012 through the Offa banks robbery where policemen were killed in cold blood.”
It would be recalled that the police force had released the pictures of four members of the gang captured in the CCTV footage and declared them wanted.
Adikwu alleged to have been identified in the footage, was said to have been arrested by the by the DCP Abba Kyari – led IRT operatives, who acted on a tip – off from members of the public.
It was gathered that he was arrested at his Oke-Oyi residence in Ilorin, last Tuesday.
However, when contacted on the development, the Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Police Force, Moshood Jimoh, declined confirmation on arrest of the dismissed corporal.
“I don’t know if one of the suspects arrested is a dismissed police officer, all I know is that police has arrested some and we are still making arrests,” he said.