The Offa Descendants’ Union (ODU) on Thursday called on the Kwara State Government to expedite action on the execution of the recent judgement delivered by the Kwara State High Court regarding the April 5, 2018 Offa bank robbery.
The union also asked the state police command to thoroughly investigate all the names mentioned by the convicted persons during their trial to ascertain their levels of involvement in the robbery incidents, in order to correct the impression in the community that certain highly placed individuals are being covered up.
Addressing journalists in Offa regarding last week’s death sentence passed on the five suspects of the robbery by the court, the ODU chairman, home branch, Chief Tajudeen Lanre Shittu, said, “Though the community welcomed the judgment of the judiciary, they, however, expressed reservations that many questions have not been answered.”
In a text of the press conference addressed to the Commissioner of Police and jointly signed by Chief Tajudeen Lanre Shittu (Chairman), Apostle Gabriel Kolawole (Public Relations Officer), and Mallam Hakeem Mudashiru (General Secretary), the ODU affirmed that while it welcomed the death sentence passed on the five convicts, the community remains “unassuaged and unsatisfied with the way the police ended” its investigation into the matter.
The text of the address reads in part: “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. Though it pleases us that the culprits would not go unpunished, we are aware that they have their rights to appeal to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“However, we will never relent in pursuing any attempt made by evildoers and ensure that full justice is achieved regarding the heartless souls, including those who have links with them during the course of investigation.
“This is a major concern for our community and a very important course we have resolved to pursue to a logical conclusion.
“Moreover, the Offa community would like the investigation to be extended further in the following regards to identify and unravel:
The people who supplied the vehicle used for the robbery.
The people mentioned during the course of investigation.
“From the above two germane points, we hereby state categorically that the Offa community remains not only grateful but unassuaged and unsatisfied with the way the police concluded the investigation.
“We, as a community, consider the investigation leading to the judgment as inconclusive and an attempt to cover and protect the names of those who were identified by the robbers during the investigation.
“We therefore vehemently call for further and thorough investigation and the arrest of those who provided logistics to the robbers. All the names mentioned by the convicted persons should be thoroughly investigated for proper justice to be served.
“We call on the Kwara State government to revisit the incident through a holistic probing of all the factors, notions, and personalities, in order to remove the public impression and conclusion that the Nigeria Police investigation of the April 2018 Offa Bank Robbery is incomplete. This is Offa Community’s non-negotiable demand and prayer,” the press statement added.
Offa robbery: Group urges Kwara govt to expedite action on five convicted armed robbers