.jpg)
Armed robbers stormed the community the afternoon of April 5, killing 17 people and raiding five banks. Eight police officers at Owode Division, Offa, were also killed in the attack, and the robbers made away with police arms and ammunition.
The police arrested seven suspects within the first two days of the attack, and made more arrests on later dates.
The police had earlier withheld the names of the first batch of suspects, saying doing so could jeopardise efforts to arrest the remaining members of the gang or/and threaten the entire investigation into the deadly robbery that had gripped the nation for the past one week.
President Muhammadu Buhari and other Nigerian leaders have condemned the attack and called on the police to take immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Jimoh Moshood, the police spokesperson at Force Headquarters, released details of the arrests, including recovered exhibits, in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES around 6:00 p.m. Friday.
Read the full statement below:
SUSPECTS
i) Adegoke Shogo 29yrs – Arrested in Offaii) Kayode Opadokun 35yrs – Arrested in Offa
iii) Kazeem Abdulrasheed 36yrs – Arrested in Offa
v) Alexander Reuben 39yrs – Arrested on the 11th April, 2018 in Lagos
vi) Jimoh Isa 28yrs – Arrested on the 11th April, 2018 in Lagos
vii) Azeez Salawudeen 20yrs – Arrested in Offa and victim’s phone and sim cards recovered from him
viii) Adewale Popoola 22yrs – Arrested in Offa and victim’s phone and sim cards recovered from him
ix) Adetoyese Muftau 23yrs – Arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State
x) Aminu Ibrahim 18yrs – Arrested in Ilorin
xi) Richard Buba Terry 23yrs – Arrested in Ilorin
xii) Peter Jaba Kuunfa 25yrs – Arrested in Ilorin
These three (3) last suspects in whose possession another Beretta pistol and Fourteen (14) rounds of live ammunitions were recovered.
EXHIBITS
i. Two (2) Beretta Pistolsii. Twenty (20) Rounds of Live Ammunition
iii. Four (4) Phones and SIM cards belonging to victims, some of whom were killed during the attack
Consequent on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris NPM, mni, deployment of high-powered Police Investigation Team, Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), Three (3) units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Anti-Robbery equipment to Kwara State to carryout discreet investigation into the banks robbery, prevent further attacks and bring perpetrators to justice; the high-powered Police Investigation Team deployed in synergy with the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department have arrested the Nine (9) above mentioned Armed Robbers directly involved in the Banks Robbery and attack on a Police Station in Offa, Kwara State.
2. The Police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spots/flashpoints, stop and search operations, visibility and confidence building patrols, intelligence gathering which led to the arrest of the suspects. Some of the arrest also involved serious exchange of gun fire between the Police and the suspects in their various hideouts.
3. The following are the suspects arrested and have admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the banks robbery attacks and are also assisting Police investigation into the incident.
i) Adegoke Shogo 29yrs Native of Offa Kwara State, he was arrested in Offa after the bank robbery and the attack on the Police Station. He is drug baron and also an Indian Hemp dealer in Offa Kwara State. According to intelligence gathered from cultivated and reliable informant, he is alleged to be one of the sponsors of the robbery attack and the Police Station in Offa. He has made useful statements to the roles he played in the armed robbery.
ii) Kayode Opadokun 35yrs Native of Offa Kwara State, He was found out to have been released from Prison Three (3) months ago after Serving only 8months of his sentence years for Armed Robbery, Notorious Armed Robber and confirmed Gang member of the Offa Bank Robbers. A Barrette pistol and six (6) rounds of live ammunition was recovered from him. He has admitted to the criminal roles he played in the Offa Banks robbery.
iii) Kazeem Abdulrasheed 36yrs Native of Offa Kwara State, A Gang member from whom a Victim’s phone was found. He was arrested in Offa
iv) Azeez Abdullahi 27yrs Native of Offa Kwara State, Gang member from whom a Victim’s Phone and SIM Cards were recovered.
v) Alexander Reuben 39yrs Native of Isoko LGA Delta state, He is a Notorious, Deadly and Hardened Bank robber from whom GMPGs, Rocket launchers and Several Rifles were recovered in 2015, He was released from Prison in December 2017. He was arrested on the 11th April, 2018 in Lagos.
vi) Jimoh Isa 28yrs Native of Okene Kogi State indicted by Technical intelligence generated on the Bank Robbers. He was arrested on the 11thApril, 2018 in Lagos. Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
