The Sixth Principal Witness (PW6) in the April 5, 2018 robbery case in Offa, Kwara State, Suleiman Mahmoud, said yesterday that the Armoury Officer of Offa Police Division on the sad day, Insp. Kayode Oke, was on medication during the attack that led to the death of nine police officers at the station.
Giving evidence before Justice Haleema Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, Mahmoud, who was on duty around 4.45p.m. when the robbers invaded the station, said Oke, who was shot dead inside his office, was probably sleeping due to the medication.
The suspected robbers attacked no fewer than five banks and the Offa police post in the evening operation described as unprecedented in the history of Offa.
All the accused persons – Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran – were in court yesterday.
Mahmoud said under an examination by the lead prosecution counsel, Bola Gold: “Our Armoury Officer that day was Inspector Oke who slept in his office because he was sick and was on drugs. He was shot dead in his sleep.”
Mahmoud said he lost his rifle while escaping through the fence after firing some shots into the air to scare the advancing gang that had superior fire.
“When the gun shots eventually subsided, and the signs that the robbers had gone were evident, I came out of my hiding and went straight to where my rifle had fallen, but I didn’t see it again.
“I was going round the station and I met some of my colleagues dead in the pool of their own blood.”
However, the defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe, pleaded with the court to allow the first accused (Akinnibosun) prompt access to medical care, noting that he was suffering from “serious medical conditions.”
The request was not objected to by the prosecuting counsel, prompting the judge to rule that the accused be allowed access to the Ilorin prison medical officer, Dr. Paul Olaleye.
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