The Nigeria Police has arraigned five of the suspects in its custody connected to the Offa Bank Robbery incident, on Kwara State.
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The five suspects pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against them in connection to the April 5, incident.
The suspects were arraigned at the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, on Friday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of conspiracy, robbery, illegal possession of two AK- 47 firearms and culpable homicide.
Lawyer to the accused persons, Mr. Mathias Abaribe had prayed the court to grant him one week to meet his clients and prepare adequately for their defense; the prosecutor however raised objections to the request.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Halimah Salma however, adjourned the case till January 7, 2019, for the commencement of definite trial.
The suspects’ arraignment is being carried out days after the alleged leader of the armed robbery gang, Michael Adikwu died in the custody of the Nigeria Police.
The Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Kamaldeen Ajibade, had told the court that the police informed him that Adikwu had died in custody.
This drew the attention of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki who had been tied to some of the suspects; Dr. Saraki asked the Presidency to investigate the cause of the suspect’s death in the hands of the police.
The Police had however issued a statement saying that the death would not vindicate Saraki who had been indicted in the case after the suspects claimed that the group was sponsored by him.
Saraki has continued to maintain that the disclosure by the police vindicated his earlier assertion that the suspect had been murdered in their custody and that the case was politically motivated to implicate him, Governor Abdul-Fatai Ahmed and a few others.