Offa Robbery: How I Was Tortured By Police to Implicate Saraki, Witness Recounts

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin.

In the resumed trial of the Offa bank robbery case at the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin,  a witness, Mr. Shamsudeen Bada, yesterday,  told the court how men of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the IGP led by DCP Abba Kyari, tortured him to implicate former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in the April 5, 2018 robbery incident.

Bada, who is a former Vice Chairman of Irepodun Local Government Area of the state, recounted his experience in the hands of the police.
Five suspects, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham and two others were charged to court by the police for criminal conspiracy to rob the banks, murder of nine policemen and other citizens, and illegal possession of firearms.

When their families threaten the police with court case, the IRT operatives said they were taking instructions directly from the IGP and there’s no court from Kwara that could stop their operations, the witness narrated.
During cross examination at the resumed trial, Bada said, while in detention, the IRT operatives promised them they would be freed if they named Saraki as their sponsor.

He, however said, Ayo Akinninbosun was shot in the leg, when he declined to indict Saraki.  
“After he was shot, my health started deteriorating. DCP Abba Kyari brought some nurses to treat me. Before I was eventually released, the police officers gave me conditions before I was released that I must not grant any press interview; I must not go to court and that I should quit politics,” he said.
The witness also disclosed that the police officers directly told him, that “You these Kwara boys, we will show you shege. We will take Kwara from your leader, Saraki.”

According to him, “Our arrest was politically motivated due to the failure of Alhaji Lai Muhammed’s camp at the APC Ward Congress against the Saraki structure.
“To deal with the Saraki camp, they needed to tag it with something to nail them hence Offa robbery became their option, which was a month after the the robbery saga.”

But the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) was unable to conclude his cross-examination of the witness due to fact that a particular document was not properly brought before them to be tendered in the Court.
He therefore, sought  an adjournment to obtain the said document and the case was subsequently adjourned to the 16th, 17th and 18th of January, 2023, for continuation of cross-examination by the prosecution and trial.