Almost six months after the Offa bank robbery, suspects arrested in connection with the incident are yet to be arraigned even as the Kwara state government and Nigeria Police trade blames over rights of prosecution. CHIZOBA OGBECHE x-rays the controversies.
On April 5, 2018, residents of Offa in Kwara state witnessed a deadly armed robbery attack in which bandits shot and killed 33 people including policemen. The bandits were said to have operated seamlessly for more than an hour, having subdued the Police personnel at the nearest Police station. They reportedly bandits went berserk killed bank workers and passersby in sight, just as they blew up bank vaults and emptied them and escaped with their loot.
The Police subsequently arrested and paraded 17 suspected bank robbers including five gang leaders, who reportedly claimed to be political thugs of the Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), acting DSP Jimoh Moshood, while giving an update on the investigation at a press briefing on July 6, 2018, said: “New revelations from further investigation into the matter show that all the five gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun; Ibukunle Ogunleye; Adeola Abraham; Salawudeen Azeez; and Niyi Ogundiran; have direct connection to Senate President Bukola Saraki.
“…The five gang leaders further admitted that they attended the Senate President daughter’s wedding held recently. The Nigeria Police Force will not be cowed or succumb to intimidation from any quarter in carrying out a thorough and discreet investigation into the Offa bank robbery, where significant successes have been recorded. The on-going investigation will be driven to a logical conclusion.”
According to him, “The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, is still under investigation in connection to the Offa bank robbery and the Nigeria Police Force will do everything possible, within the ambit of the law, to ensure that justice is done in this case.”
Kwara Assembly accuses Police of stalling trial
However, four months after giving the assurance the suspects were yet to be arraigned and in a twist of events Chairman, Kwara State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Hon. Abdulrafiu Abdulrahman, at a press conference over the weekend in Ilorin, accused the Nigeria Police of stalling the trial of the suspected Offa bank robbers.
Abdulrahman, who was speaking on behalf of the Assembly, on decision of the Police to transfer suspects allegedly arrested with 11 human skulls and others in the state to Abuja.
According to the lawmakers: “…Since the affected suspects were arrested at Adewole Area, Ilorin, they should be arraigned under the state’s law in connection with the issue in order not to be like that of Offa bank robbery saga in the state.
It is worth noting that the state Assembly had recently passed a Bill that prohibits dealings in human parts in any form in the state, which the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, had since signed into law.
The lawmaker stated that in spite of the existence of the law, the Assembly was surprised that the suspects were transfer of the suspects to Abuja for an offence that was committed in the state.
He expressed fear that the case, if allowed to be handled in Abuja, may go the way of the Offa bank robbery case that was turned into avenue to witch-hunt perceived opponents or political enemies.
Kwara govt staling-Police allege
In a swift reaction, the FPRO in a press statement on Sunday night in Abuja said that: “investigation into the matter has been concluded by the Police and the case file has been sent to Attorney General of the Federation, who directed that the case file be sent to the Kwara state Attorney General for prosecution.
Moshood, who disclosed that the Police has complied with the directive since August, 2018, pointed out that: “The Force has been waiting on the Kwara state Attorney General to take over the suspects from the Police for prosecution.
“Hon. Abdulrafiu Abdulrahman, Chairman of House Committee on Information, Kwara State House of Assembly should take note, please.”
Police hiding something- Kwara AG insists
Not done with the accusation and counter accusations, the Kwara state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), yesterday came out to deny the allegations by the Police that the state government was delaying prosecution of the suspected Offa bank robbers.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the commissioner described the allegations by the police as cheap blackmail, insisting that the Police have something to hide and not to make full disclosure on the matter.
He said that the state government had asked for original case diary and the suspects from the Police, which, he said were yet to be provided for more than two months.
“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 the Federation.
“My office received the letter on August 27 this year. And 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, this year, we wrote a letter through the office of the state director of the public prosecution to the office of the Attorney General requesting from them to provide for us the original case diary in the Offa robbery and also to transfer the suspects to the Kwara state police command. We waited for about three weeks and did not hear anything from them.
“I then took it upon myself to personally meet with the AIG Legal, one David Ogbodo, and I requested that the original case diary is sent to Kwara state to enable us to start prosecution of the matter.
“I also requested him to send all the suspects to Kwara state and he told me that he had directed the man in charge. That is one Abba Kyari.”
The commissioner for justice further stated that: “We waited for another week; we could not get anything from them. So, I directed my DPP to liaise with the police this time around. He liaised with the police both in the state and also with Abbah Kyari. They promised every day that they would send the suspects to Kwara and the original case diary.
“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 robbery. We don’t have all these with us. We don’t have the suspects on the ground; we don’t have the witnesses on the ground. How do you file a charge? How do you prosecute people you cannot see?
“So, I see this as a cheap blackmail from the police and at this instance, they have something to hide which they are yet to tell Nigerians about this case. I am sure at the end of the day Nigerians will know what has transpired in this matter. That is why the police are now passing the bucks. They can now see that Nigerians have started asking questions that if you arrested suspects since April this year and they are yet to be charged to court; then there must be something about it.”
Speaking further Ajibade stated that: “I urge Nigerians to ask questions about this matter. I am surprised particularly the statement coming from the Police Spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood. Jimoh Moshood without being personal is from Ilorin here. He has contacts and I am sure he follows up with events in the Kwara Police Command and he knows too well that all the suspects are still with him at the Police Headquarters.
“Why will he now come to mislead the public that we are yet to prosecute? How can you prosecute people kept in Abuja in Kwara state High Courts? It is not possible,” he said.
Effort to reach the Police spokesperson proved abortive as he did not respond to our correspondents query on the AG’s claims passed through his aide who answered his call and said he was in a meeting.
However, a senior police officer, who spoke to our correspondent on the matter, claimed it is purely an administrative matter that should not have been taken to the media.
According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, “the media unit had no business joining issues with the legislators; after all, the misunderstanding is the consequence of this new style of parading every suspect at the Force Headquarters.”
The Police officer, who debunked claims that the Police has ulterior motive in the matters, expressed optimism that it would be resolved, and promptly too, to save the Force of further embarrassment.
