The prime suspect and gang leader in the Offa bank robbery, Michael Adikwu, is dead.
Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN disclosed this at a Kwara State High Court on Wednesday, when five of the six principal suspects were brought to court, NAN reports.
The five suspects arraigned were Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.
However, Michael Adikwu, a dismissed police constable who was said to have confessed to being the mastermind of the bloody operation was not in court during the arraignment.
No fewer than 32 people were killed in the robbery operation which involved five commercial banks on April 5, 2018.
When the case came up, Ajibade, who said that his office received the case file of the robbery operation on Monday evening explained that the head of Police investigation team, Mr Abba Kyari informed him that one of the suspects, Michael Adikwu was dead.
Ajibade said the police was yet to give details of Adikwu’s death and that the five suspects brought to court could not be charged until an amendment was made on the charge sheet.
According to him, “We have the names of six suspects on our charge sheet, but they brought five suspects, we cannot go on with the case until we amend the charges because we can not prosecute a dead person.
The Attorney General also said that the case could not go on because the suspects had no legal representation.
He, however, urged the court to adjourn the case so that the charges could be amended and the suspects could get legal team to represent them.
It would be recalled that two lawyers who were representing the suspects announced their withdrawal from the case last week.
Justice Halima Salman adjourned the matter till Nov. 30, 2018, and ordered that the suspects should get a legal team.
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