Crime & Court
Read Confessions Of Gang Leaders That Killed 33 People
Leaders of the robbery gang that carried out the attack that resulted in the death of 33 people in Offa, Kwara state, have confessed to how they were involved in the operation.
Nine police officers and 24 others lost their lives when a group of at least 30 armed robbers attacked Union Bank, Eco Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank and Ibolo Micro Finance Bank, as well as the Owode Police Station in Offa on April 5, 2018.
Since the robbery incident happened, 22 suspects have been arrested and were finally presented to the press during a media briefing on Sunday, June 3, 2018.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Jimoh Moshood, disclosed that five of the gang leaders have made confessional statements where they admitted to their roles in the bloody robbery that shocked the country two months ago.
According to him, the main gang leaders are Ayoade Akinnibosun (aka, AY), Ibikunle Ogunleye (aka Arrow), Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran, all indigenes of Oro, Irepodun local government area of Kwara.
The other major leader of the operation is Michael Adikwu, a former police corporal, who killed a total of 22 people during the robbery incident. Adikwu was attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Kwara State command before he was dismissed in 2012 for aiding the escape of some robbery suspects. He was arraigned in court and spent about three years in prison before he made his way out and created his own gang.
According to ACP Moshood, the biggest gang leader, AY, named Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Kwara state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, as his gang’s political sponsors.
Some of the gang leaders were allowed to be questioned by the press and they shed light on the issues surrounding the robbery operation including the fact that it was the first time many of them were engaging in such a crime.
Read their confessions below:
Read confessions of Offa robbery gang leaders
Ogunleye is 36-year-old who confessed to killing two people during the robbery incident. He revealed that he was only informed of the robbery three days before the operation.
He said, “It was the gang leader, Ayo, that introduced this robbery to me and I later spread it to Ade to inform the two mechanics (other gang leaders). Three days to the incident, that was when the gang leader invited us.”
Ogunleye also disclosed that he killed two people during the robbery incident because Adikwu, the ex-police officer, was disturbing him.
He said, “The two people I killed was out of fear because I was being disturbed when the whole thing was going on. The dismissed police officer, Michael (Adikwu), was shouting that day that the Nigerian police dismissed him, that they collect job from his hand, that he’ll do them shege. That was the language he used.”
While noting that the Offa incident was his first robbery operation, he said Adikwu also trained the group in the use of firearms at Ajase-Ipo, Kwara, a day to the robbery.
Adeola Abraham
Read confessions of Offa robbery gang leaders
Adeola Abraham confessed to killing five people during the Offa robbery operation (YouTube/OakTV)
35-year-old Abraham led a team of robbers to GTB during the operation and revealed to the press that he killed five people because he was stoned by members of the public outside the bank.
He said, “When we’re in operation, they start to attack us with stone, civilian people, outside the bank. I was in the front of the bank when they started shouting ‘thief, thief’ and started carrying the stone, threw the stone and then the stone knack (hit) me, that is why (I killed them).”
Ayoade Akinnibosun
37-year-old Akinnibosun has been identified as the man that coordinated the operation after working with Adikwu. While speaking to the press, he narrated how the operation started in Offa after he received guns from Adikwu.
He said, “That fateful day, it was me, this man sitting beside me here (Ogunleye), Adex, Stand Well Well, and Niyi; it was the five of us. I came to join them at Ajase then we took off with a Mercedes Benz to Offa.
“On getting there I now positioned everybody; me I stood at that junction, that Total filling station there. On getting to that filling station, we now met that Michael, that dismissed police officer. On getting to meet Michael, Michael came down from one Audi, there was a Nissan parked in front of us, he now came out of that Audi and threw his hands we now saw him and parked at the back of that Nissan. He now came out and brought guns out of that Nissan, five AK-47s, and gave it to us. Then I shared it between the five of us inside our Benz.”
Read confessions of Offa robbery gang leaders
He also named the senate president and Kwara governor as his political sponsors whom he’s done ‘political arrangements’ for for years .
He said, “I am the chairman of Liberation Youths Movement, Kwara South. My involvement with the senate president is we’re his boys; we work for him at Kwara South. We’re the ones that hold Kwara South for him. We’ve been working for him since he was Governor of Kwara.
“We mobilise and do political arrangement there (Kwara South). For example, where we can’t win, we make dabaru (disruptive) arrangement there; we scatter elections if we don’t win.
“The connections between me and the senate president is that he’s the one that is arranging everything for us. For example, this car (a Lexus jeep GX-300) was given to me by His Excellency (Governor Ahmed) through the Chief of Staff of Kwara state as a gift from leader, Bukola Saraki. I participated in the Offa robbery. I took this Lexus car along to Offa.
“The senate president and governor of Kwara state (Ahmed), we have been their political thugs, and that’s what encouraged us to do what we’re doing.
Even though Akinnibosun noted that their alleged sponsors didn’t know about their robbery plans, Chief of Staff to Governor Ahmed, Yusuf Abdulwahab, and his personal assistant on politics, Alabi Olalekan, are two of the 22 suspects who have been arrested in connection to the robbery incident.
Salawudeen Azeez
Another 49-year-old, Salawudeen Azeez, was presented as a gang leader involved in the robbery operation. Azeez disclosed that he was introduced to the gang while repairing a car for them. The mechanic killed two people during the operation.
Two witnesses remain at large
In a statement signed by ACP Moshood on May 4, he released the pictures of four suspects who were placed at the scene of the crime and declared them wanted with a bounty of N5 million placed on their heads by the Kwara state government.
Adikwu and Ogunleye were two of those suspects, and have been arrested since then, meaning the other two remain at large as investigations continue into the tragedy of the Offa robbery.
Offa robbery suspects wanted by the police
These two Offa robbery suspects remain at large with a N5 million bounty on their heads (NAN)
The suspects have been placed on the watch list of the International Police and members of the public have been encouraged to contact with any information that could lead to their arrests on these hotlines: 08062080913, 08126285268, 08032365122, 07056792065, and 08088450152.
https://iso.keq.mybluehost.me/police-arrested-wanted-offa-bank-robbers/
Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered an accelerated trial of four bloggers accused of defaming and cyberstalking the management of Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), including its Group CEO, Mr. Segun Agbaje.
The defendants—Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami—face a 10-count amended charge for allegedly publishing false and defamatory content about GTCO on various social media platforms.
During proceedings on November 13 and 14, Justice Faji dismissed their bail applications, citing the severity of the charges, which carry potential penalties of up to 14 years in prison.
The judge specifically noted that Precious Eze had previously been charged with a similar offense in another court and was on bail at the time of the alleged actions, demonstrating a likelihood of reoffending.
Justice Faji emphasized the destabilizing impact such actions could have on the banking sector, pointing to the cross-border nature of some of the allegations.
“The regulatory oversight of institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should not be undermined by false claims,” the judge remarked, referencing GTCO’s CBN-approved audited statements.
At the previous hearing, defense counsel Afolabi Adeniyi had urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms, arguing that the defendants were ready to stand trial.
However, the prosecution counsel, Chief Aribisala, SAN, opposed the motion, raising concerns about the defendants potentially absconding and stressing the need for a swift trial.
In his ruling, Justice Faji rejected the defense’s plea, ordering an expedited trial to address the case’s significant implications for the financial industry.
The trial has been adjourned to December 10 and 12 for continuation.
Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has raised concerns over widespread corruption in Nigeria’s electricity sector, attributing frequent national grid failures to fraudulent practices involving substandard materials.
Olukoyede made these remarks on Tuesday during a visit from the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
He revealed that ongoing investigations in the power sector had exposed disturbing levels of malpractice, often resulting in compromised infrastructure and recurrent grid collapses.
“As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears,” Olukoyede stated.
He further explained that contractors awarded projects to supply electrical equipment were substituting recommended materials with cheaper, inferior alternatives.
“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 gauge, they will buy 5.0,” he said, noting that such fraudulent practices contribute significantly to the country’s unstable power supply.
“So, every time you see the thing tripping off gets burnt, and all of that, it’s part of our problems.”
The EFCC boss disclosed that the agency would be intensifying efforts toward crime prevention rather than focusing solely on asset recovery.
He emphasized that future scrutiny would prioritize spending by government ministries and agencies to curb misappropriation at the source.
Crime & Court
Nigerian Man Wanted for Child’s Murder Added to U.S. Marshals’ “15 Most Wanted” List, $25,000 Reward Offered
A Nigerian man, Olalekan Abimbola Olawusi, 48, is now among the U.S. Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” list.
Authorities are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information that results in his arrest.
He is sought on charges including first-degree murder, causing serious bodily harm to a child, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, according to a report on the U.S. Marshals Service’s website.
Olawusi was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of causing serious bodily harm to a child after emergency personnel in Providence, Rhode Island, found his 3-month-old son with severe injuries on April 3, 2017.
The infant was in cardiac arrest and needed resuscitation to restore a pulse. A medical examination later revealed the child had 18 injuries in various stages of healing, consistent with prolonged abuse.
These injuries included a skull fracture, severe brain injury, and fractures to the ribs, clavicle, and limbs. Tragically, the child died six months later, despite life support efforts.
Providence Police initially arrested Olawusi on April 20, 2017, on charges of first-degree child abuse. He was released the same day but fled after the child’s death on October 31, 2017, at which point the charge was upgraded to murder.
In June 2017, Olawusi reportedly left the United States from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, traveling to Nigeria on his Nigerian passport. Authorities suspect he may be receiving support from relatives in Nigeria and have voiced concerns that he could pose a danger to other children.
“Mr. Olawusi is wanted for the abuse and murder of an innocent child, and has fled the country to avoid justice,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis.
“We have placed Mr. Olawusi on our 15 Most Wanted list due to the heinous crimes he’s committed and the threat he continues to pose to the public. The USMS will exhaust all resources necessary to bring him to justice for his family and the community.”
Olawusi, also known as Olekun Olawusi, is described as approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing around 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Authorities encourage anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to contact the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2 (926-8332) or via the USMS Tips App.
The “15 Most Wanted” fugitive programme, established in 1983, identifies some of the most dangerous and high-profile fugitives in the U.S. Known for their extensive criminal backgrounds, these fugitives often pose significant risks to public safety.
Since its creation, the programme has led to the capture of over 250 high-risk individuals, including murderers, sex offenders, and organized crime figures.
In collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Marshals Service plays a crucial role in fugitive investigations.
In fiscal year 2023 alone, USMS-led fugitive task forces arrested over 73,000 fugitives and resolved nearly 86,000 warrants, demonstrating their commitment to public safety and justice.
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