The Offa Descendants’ Union has urged the Kwara State Government to expedite the execution of the recent judgment delivered by the Kwara State High Court on the 2018 Offa bank robbery.
According to The PUNCH, the union also called for a thorough investigation into individuals mentioned by the convicted robbers during their trial to uncover any additional accomplices.
During a press conference on Thursday, the ODU expressed concerns about the handling of the investigation, despite welcoming the death sentence handed down to five suspects by the court last week.
The union’s chairman, Chief Tajudeen Shittu, stated that the community remains unsatisfied with the police investigation, believing that key questions have been left unanswered.
The Kwara State High Court, presided over by Justice Haleema Salman, had convicted Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham, sentencing them to death by hanging for their involvement in the April 5, 2018, robbery.
In a petition addressed to the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, and signed by ODU officials, including Shittu, Public Relations Officer Apostle Gabriel Kolawole, and General Secretary Hakeem Mudashiru, the union emphasized its dissatisfaction with the investigation.
“As much as we appreciate the conviction of the suspects, Offa as a community has reservations about the way the investigation was handled by the police. While it pleases us that the culprits will face justice, we believe the investigation remains incomplete,” Shittu said.
The ODU called for further investigations to identify others who may have been involved in the crime, particularly those who provided logistics, including the vehicle used during the robbery.
“We categorically state that the Offa community remains unassuaded and unsatisfied with how the police concluded the investigation. We demand that all individuals mentioned by the convicted robbers be thoroughly investigated,” Shittu added.
The community urged the Kwara State Government to re-examine the case, noting that the public perception is that the investigation was incomplete. “This is Offa’s unnegotiable demand and prayer,” Shittu concluded.
In response, the Kwara State Government commended the court’s ruling, describing the conviction as a “triumph of good over evil,” while reiterating its commitment to ensuring justice in the case.
