The leader of the Prosecution, Razaq Gold, informed the court that the continuation of hearing would not be able to go on because his witness had gone for a national assignment since Jan. 25.

He said that the police officer who was supposed to testify in court had been deployed for election re-run duty.

Following the development, Gold asked for another date of adjournment for the continuation of hearing.

It was reported that the April 4, 2018, robbery attack was carried out in four commercial banks which claimed about 30 lives including police officers at Offa Local Government Area of Kwara.

It was reported that the defendants standing trial in connection with the case are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.

The defendant’s counsel, Matrix Emeribe, said he had no objection to the submission of the prosecution.

He said that national security comes first over any other issue.

Justice Halimah Salman said the counsels should be prepared to bring their witnesses to court for continuation of hearing in the next sitting.

The judge warned that she would not tolerate any further delay on the matter, adding that the case had been on “trial within trial” since April 2018.

She therefore adjourned the case till Feb. 10 for continuation of hearing.

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The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. when the robbers invaded the community in attempt to rob the two commercial banks in the town killing 10 persons including security officers attached to the banks.

A resident of the community, Mr Ofei Obende, said the robbers attacked the police station in the town before attacking the banks killing four security men at the bank premises.

The Secretary to the Otaru of Igarra, Chief Folorunsho Dania, confirmed the incident to our correspondent in an telephone interview and said 10 persons were feared dead and the police station set ablaze.

“This is a serious case, armed robbers have besieged Igarra so many lives killed, 10 persons have been killed.Three people were killed and in the banks too,” he said.

Many persons were killed. It is a calamity. In all, ten lives have gone.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Edo, Mr Chidi Nwabuzor, said information about the attack was still sketchy and would release details later.

It was reported that six persons were killed in a similar attack in November 2015 when armed robbers invaded the community.

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Saraki said this in a statement issued in Abuja signed by his Special Adviser Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu.

The police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh said on Sunday in Abuja that they had invited Saraki to come and explain allegations of complicity in the recent attacks by suspected armed robbers on some banks in Offa.

He said more than 30 people, including nine policemen and a pregnant woman, were killed during the attack.

Jimoh said five of the suspects arrested had claimed that they were thugs working for Saraki and Kwara governor Abdulfatai Ahmed.

“I will want the entire public to disregard this claim as a baseless allegation and another ploy by the Police to implicate him by all means.

“Let it be known that there is no way I could have been associated with armed robbery against my people, he said.

He recalled that when the incident happened, he was the first top public official to pay a visit to the place.

He said he had, during a visit palace of the traditional ruler, put a call to the InspectorGeneral of Police, Ibrahim Idris, requesting him to make certain specific security arrangements as demanded by the people.

“Members of the public will remember that on May 16, 2018, I alerted the Senate about the information passed on to me by my State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatai Ahmed, over a plot by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to frame me up by getting some suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin to implicate me.

“It is believed that the timely leakage of the plot in that case aborted the use of the suspected cultists to implicate me. Now, it is the Offa bank robbery suspects that are about to be used.

“Like the earlier one, this frame-up will also fail as I hereby state categorically that I have no link with any band of criminals,” Saraki said.

He said he was ready to honour the police’s invitation whenever it wss extended to him.

“As a person, who has utmost respect for the Rule of Law and all constitutional institutions, when the invitation from the Police is formally extended to me, I will be ready to honour it without any delay.

“It is however sad that this abuse of the criminal investigation process aimed at intimidating and over-awing the legislature, thereby obstructing it from doing its work, is a big threat to our democracy,” Saraki said.

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Our correspondent reports that the bank, which began skeletal services in Jan 2017, three years after a similar attack on banks in the community, had since the last robbery, closed shop.

The situation became compounded as the community was preparing for the funeral outing and thanksgiving service for its late traditional ruler, Oba Charles Ibitoye, scheduled for Saturday April 14.

It was reported that some armed bandits had on May 2013, attacked three commercial banks in Omu-Aran, killing three persons and carted away undisclosed amount of money in the process.

One of the banks had to reopen in January 2017 after persistent pressure and appeal from the people of the community.

The community had also donated two Hilux vehicles to the police to aid crime combat in the community and woo other banks back to business.

Some bank customers had no choice but to travel about 75 kilometers to Ilorin to carry out bank transactions while the closure lasted.

Our correspondent’s investigation also revealed that one of the closed banks in the community, had few weeks ago, embarked on a massive renovation of its building.

The bank, according to a source, who preferred anonymity, was preparing to begin banking businesses by Monday this week.

This development had generated excitement among the people, especially traders, transporters and marketers.

The situation, however, remained tense in the community, as the only bank in operation, had shut its door to customers while the second had stayed away purportedly due to the Offa bank attack.

The situation remained the same in spite of the recent massive deployment of detachment of a police mobile unit in the community.

It was reported that the development had forced bank customers to engage the services of the local money transfer operators in the community.

All efforts to speak with the bank officials proved abortive as no one was found around the premises of the bank.

Mr Abbey Adelodun, a businessman, described the development as pathetic and unhealthy for business.

“Where do we go from here, we are in the process of calling on the only bank in operation to extend its services.

“But the refusal to open for business since the Offa attack, has dealt a big blow to our business activities,” he said.

Mr Francis Obayomi, a civil servant, said he was forced to engage the services of Point of Service (POS) operators before he could withdraw money from his account.

“I had no option than to use the service of the local money transfer operators to withdraw from my salary account,” he said.

Mr Joseph Abegunde, the Area Commander, Police Community Relations Committee, (PCRC) in Kwara South Federal Constituency, lauded the deployment of Police Mobile Unit to the area.

He pledged the committee’s readiness to assist other security stakeholders in the area of crime prevention and combat.

Abegunde expressed optimism that with the presence of the police mobile unit, the banks would have a rethink and open for business.

Mr Bisi Adeyemi, the President, Omu-Aran Development Association (ODA), also expressed the association’s readiness to partner with security agents and other stakeholders in ensuring a safe banking environment.

Adeyemi, who lamented the closure of the only bank in the community, urged the people to remain calm and exercise patient.

“We will not leave any stone unturned to see that the banks re-open for business.

He also called on the Federal and State Governments to consider the community in the deployment of some Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) to assist in the protection of lives and property in the area.

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This is contained in a statement by the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr Muyideen Akorede.

The governor called on anyone with useful information on the incident to contact the state police command on the following numbers (0803 739 1280 and 0803 702 4320).

“While we mourn our dead with a heart full of sadness, and care for the injured by paying all their medical bills.

“We will do everything in our power to bring the attackers to justice, and ensure that never again does any community or people in our state experience such tragedy”, Gov. Ahmed said.

Gov. Ahmed assured such informants of anonymity, confidentiality and safety, as no harm will befall them on account of assisting the security agencies to arrest the attackers.

He said the police and other security agencies in the country have begun a vigorous manhunt for the perpetrators of the dastardly and wicked attack on Offa community.

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