…as Kwara AG reacts to police statement, says it’s cheap blackmail
Finally, the suspects arrested in connection with Offa Banks robbery were on Tuesday arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The suspects; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran allegedly conspired with other suspects at large to carry out the attack.
Their arraignment is coming six months after the robbery incident that led to the killings of nine (9) police officers and no fewer than 21 persons in the community.
The suspects were brought before Magistrate Bio Saliu on the offences of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, contrary to section 6 (b) of the Armed robbery and firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R11 LFN 2004 and culpable homicide punishable with death contrary to section 221 of Penal Code.
The police First Information Report alleged that on 5th April, 2018, a group of dare-devil armed bandits invaded the Offa community.
It further revealed that the bandits killed 9 serving police officers, looted the Offa Police Divisional Armory and carted away 21 AK 47 rifles and several other ammunition.
The police report also stated that the robbers took to the street of the community shooting sporadically thereby killing 21 innocent Nigerians.
The suspects were also alleged of raiding six (6) financial institutions; First Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, Eco-Bank, Union Bank and Micro Finance Bank before leaving the town.
The amount of money carted away in the financial institutions is yet to be revealed.
The FIR noted that efforts of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) led by DCP Abba Kyari and other arms of the Force resulted in the arrest of the suspects.
During the investigation, the FIR revealed that the suspects confessed to have participated in the robbery while some of the weapons used were recovered from them.
Two AK 47 rifle, one Lexus RX 300 Jeep with reg. No (Kwara) 143 RM, one Mercedes-Benz compressor with reg. No LT 496 KJA and 4 phones belonging to victims of the incident.
The FIR added that investigation is still going on to ensure the arrest of other suspects who are at large and to recover the stolen arms and ammunition, the looted money from the bank as well as unravelling the sponsors of the deadly attack.
The prosecutor team led by OC Legal however prayed the court for adjournment on the basis that the offences of the accused persons are capital in nature.
He submitted further that he would contact the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Barr Mumini Adebimpe to file appropriate charges against the accused persons before the State High Court.
He said, “On this note, we shall be asking that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody pending when appropriate charges are filed against the accused persons at the High Court,” the prosecutor said.
The accused persons’ counsel, Barr. Abdulrasheed Lawal who was holding brief for Barr. Wahab Bamidele informed the court that he would file all necessary processes as regards the matter and that he would come officially at the next adjourned date for the bail of the accused.
The magistrate in his short ruling submitted that the court cannot try the matter but the High Court. In view of this, he said he won’t be able to take the plea of the accused while the case was adjourned till 14th November, 2018 for mention.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) has described as cheap blackmail, a statement credited to the Nigeria Police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, blaming him for delay in the arraignment and trial of the Offa Banks robbery suspects.
The police had reportedly accused the Kwara AG for delaying arraignment of the suspects.
The police alleged that they’ve concluded investigations and sent the case file to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who directed that the file be sent to the state Attorney-General.
“I see this as a cheap blackmail by the police. They have something to hide, which they are yet to tell Nigerians. I am sure at the end of the day, Nigerians will know what has transpired in this matter. That is why the police are passing the buck. They can now see that Nigerians have started asking questions that if you’ve arrested suspects since April and they are yet to be arraigned, then there must be something about it. I urge people to ask questions about this matter.
“I am surprised, particularly the statement coming from the police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood. Moshood, without being personal, is from Ilorin. He has contacts and I am sure he follows events in the Kwara Command. He knows that the suspects are still with him at the police headquarters.
“Why will he now mislead the public that we are yet to prosecute? How can you prosecute people kept in Abuja in Kwara State High Court? It is not possible.”
The attorney-general added: “I want to confirm to you that a letter was written from the Office of the Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation under the Office of the Attorney-General of them Federation. My office received the letter on August 27.
“The content of the letter had to do with the investigation report on the Offa robbery and directing my office to take up the prosecution of the matter.
“Immediately we received this letter on September 6, we wrote a letter through the Office of the State Director of the Public Prosecution to the Office of the Attorney-General requesting them to provide for us the original case diary in the Offa robbery and to transfer the suspects to Kwara State Police Command. We waited for about three weeks and did not hear anything from them.
“I then met the AIG Legal, David Ogbodo and requested that the original case diary be sent to Kwara to enable us start prosecution of the matter. I also requested him to send the suspects to Kwara State and he told me that he had directed the man in charge. That is Abba Kyari.
“We waited for another week; we could not get anything from them. So, I directed my DPP to liaise with the police this time. He liaised with the police both in the state and with Abbah Kyari. They promised everyday that they would send the suspects to Kwara and the original case diary, to no avail.
“You cannot prosecute under the law without having the original case diary. You cannot even file a charge without the case diary and in filing a charge, you have to exhibit what we call proof of evidence.
“This proof of evidence entails the statements of witnesses. Statements of witnesses in this sense, we are talking of the people that investigated Offa robbers. We don’t have all these with us. We don’t have the suspects on ground; we don’t have the witnesses on ground.
“How do you file a charge? How do you prosecute people you cannot see?”
