Offa Bank Robbery: How Zenith Bank Was Invaded By Armed Bandits — Masked Witness

A masked male witness on Tuesday gave a detailed account of how
the Zenith Bank in Offa, Kwara State was attacked by suspected
armed robbers on April 5, 2018, before a Kwara State High Court
sitting in Ilorin.

All the five suspects in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, Ayoade
Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Azeez Salawu and
Niyi Ogundiran were all present in the court.

Code-named AA, the prosecution witness said that the witness was
a security man and the chief security officer in the bank on the
day the robbery incident took place.

He narrated how the suspected armed robbers stormed the bank,
scared people away, including the police officers attached to the
bank.

The witness said that he discovered that a police sergeant, Isa
Monday, and a clergyman’s driver had been killed by the suspected
armed robbers after the door of a place in which he and a woman
with her children were hidden was forced open.

He said that the hoodlums carted away many phones and his own
power bank, adding that the robbers forced many people to withdraw
money using their ATM cards which he said they took away.

The sad incident, according to him, happened at about 4:45 pm
when most staff of the bank had left.

“I was at my working place (Zenith Bank) on April 5, 2018. As at
that time, I was the chief security officer. Around 4:45 pm, I was
inside the banking hall when I heard gunshots and I went to the
doors to check what was happening.

“When the gunshots became intense, a woman with her child and I
had to take a cover inside a small place within the banking hall.
The robbers came in through the main entrance. At that time most
staff had left except three senior staff and a security guard. But
everyone escaped, leaving myself and a woman with her kid behind.
The robbers opened fire on the door of the place we were hiding
with gunshots.

“Some pieces of bullets hit my hands as they fired at the door
but the robbers couldn’t gain entrance because I had bolted the
door from behind. After we were rescued by other staff from where
we were hiding, my colleagues told me that a MOPOL, Sergeant Isa
Monday, and a driver of a clergyman, had been killed by the
rampaging robbers. So many phones and my power bank were stolen by
the robbers. I was also told that the robbers forced some people to
use their ATM cards to withdraw money, which they took away.

“There were five policemen on duty including Isa Monday that was
killed. I didn’t see the face of any of the armed robbers,” he
said.

Earlier, the trial judge, Haleemah Salman, had ruled in favour
of an application made orally by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi
Jacobs, to allow the prosecution witness (PW8) give evidence while
on a mask to protect his identity despite opposition from the
defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe.

The matter was later adjourned to April 22, 2021, by the trial
judge.

A masked male witness on Tuesday gave a detailed account of how
the Zenith Bank in Offa, Kwara State was attacked by suspected
armed robbers on April 5, 2018, before a Kwara State High Court
sitting in Ilorin.

All the five suspects in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, Ayoade
Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Azeez Salawu and
Niyi Ogundiran were all present in the court.

Code-named AA, the prosecution witness said that the witness was
a security man and the chief security officer in the bank on the
day the robbery incident took place.

He narrated how the suspected armed robbers stormed the bank,
scared people away, including the police officers attached to the
bank.

The witness said that he discovered that a police sergeant, Isa
Monday, and a clergyman’s driver had been killed by the suspected
armed robbers after the door of a place in which he and a woman
with her children were hidden was forced open.

He said that the hoodlums carted away many phones and his own
power bank, adding that the robbers forced many people to withdraw
money using their ATM cards which he said they took away.

The sad incident, according to him, happened at about 4:45 pm
when most staff of the bank had left.

“I was at my working place (Zenith Bank) on April 5, 2018. As at
that time, I was the chief security officer. Around 4:45 pm, I was
inside the banking hall when I heard gunshots and I went to the
doors to check what was happening.

“When the gunshots became intense, a woman with her child and I
had to take a cover inside a small place within the banking hall.
The robbers came in through the main entrance. At that time most
staff had left except three senior staff and a security guard. But
everyone escaped, leaving myself and a woman with her kid behind.
The robbers opened fire on the door of the place we were hiding
with gunshots.

“Some pieces of bullets hit my hands as they fired at the door
but the robbers couldn’t gain entrance because I had bolted the
door from behind. After we were rescued by other staff from where
we were hiding, my colleagues told me that a MOPOL, Sergeant Isa
Monday, and a driver of a clergyman, had been killed by the
rampaging robbers. So many phones and my power bank were stolen by
the robbers. I was also told that the robbers forced some people to
use their ATM cards to withdraw money, which they took away.

“There were five policemen on duty including Isa Monday that was
killed. I didn’t see the face of any of the armed robbers,” he
said.

Earlier, the trial judge, Haleemah Salman, had ruled in favour
of an application made orally by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi
Jacobs, to allow the prosecution witness (PW8) give evidence while
on a mask to protect his identity despite opposition from the
defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe.

The matter was later adjourned to April 22, 2021, by the trial
judge.