Offa Robbery Suspect: I Was Coerced to Implicate Bukola Saraki

One of the suspects in the April 5, 2018 bank robberies in Offa, Kwara State, Ayoade Akinnibosun, yesterday told a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin how  the police coerced him to implicate Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Akinnibosun, who is the first accused person, alongside two other suspects – Ibikunle Ogunleye (2nd accused person) and Adeola Abraham (3rd accused person) are among the five suspects standing trial before Justice Halimat Salman in connection with the Offa robberies, during which six banks were robbed and millions of naira stolen. The two other accused persons are Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd accused persons also told the court yesterday that the principal suspect, Michael Adikwu was shot dead by one Inspector Vincent attached to the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) contrary to police claim that he slumped in the custody and was rushed to the hospital where he died.

The suspects said they were tortured and threatened by the police to make confessional statements.

At yesterday’s proceedings, Akinnibosun said: “Abba Kyari( the deputy commissioner- head of IRT)  told me to mention the name of Senate President Bukola Saraki that he gave me the guns for the operations. But I declined to do that contending that my life is at stake.

“He promised that they would reward me handsomely and set me free if I can indict Senator Saraki.
“When I disagreed, they called some policemen to take me back to the cell. During this time my hands were tied to my legs in the back and the police were saying ‘their children are in America and Europe you are allowing yourselves to be used as political thugs.’

Akinnibosun stated that he was the leader of Kwara South Liberation Movement mobilising young jobless graduates for Dr. Rafiu Ibrahim, the Senator representing Kwara South district in the upper legislative chamber.

The essence, according to him, was to secure government jobs for the boys.
The 1st-3rd accused persons also at yesterday’s proceedings, gave graphic details of their alleged horrifying experience in the police custody in Abuja.

The suspects also alleged that during one of their encounters at the police IRT ‘theatre room,’ one Inspector Vincent shot dead five Fulani men.
The ‘theatre room’, according to them, is the generator room of the IRT’s office and it also doubles as a place for extra-judicial killings.

The trio added that it was in the same ‘theatre room’ that Inspector Vincent otherwise known as ‘Mr. Torture,’ allegedly shot dead Michael Adikwu for his failure to indict them (accused) in the robbery incidents.

According to Ibikunle Ogunleye (2nd accused): “They brought the late Adikwu to implicate us and he said he had not met any of us in his life that is why Mr. Torture shot him to death.”
The presiding judge, Justice Salman has adjourned the case to March 25 for continuation of trial within trial.

SOURCE: THISDAY LIVE