The Digest:
The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, has upheld the death sentence imposed on five men convicted for their roles in the deadly 2018 Offa bank robberies. The appellate court dismissed all grounds of appeal filed by the convicts, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran, affirming the 2024 judgment of the Kwara State High Court. The convicts were found guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide for the April 5, 2018, attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 33 people, including 12 police officers and a pregnant woman. The ringleader, Akinnibosun, had confessed to recruiting the others.
Key Points
- The ruling delivers finality to a long-running legal process for one of Nigeria's most violent and high-profile robberies, offering a measure of judicial closure to the victims' families.
- It reinforces the ultimate penalty for a crime that shocked the nation, setting a judicial precedent for severe consequences in cases of extreme violence and loss of life.
- The convicts face execution, while the state demonstrates the legal system's capacity to conclude a complex, emotionally charged case with a definitive sentence.
- The affirmation of the death sentence underscores the judiciary's stance on violent criminality, particularly attacks on financial institutions and law enforcement.
- Years after the crime, the timing provides a sombre conclusion to a case that highlighted severe security vulnerabilities and communal trauma.
Sources: Channels, PM News
