The Offa robbery in Kwara State on April 5, 2018, was a devastating event that claimed 31 lives altogether as the single most deadliest robbery incident in Nigerian history.
Following the incident, the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, directed Abba Kyari, the Nigerian Super Cop, to relocate to Offa and lead the investigation. Kyari, ever ready to serve his fatherland, immediately obeyed the call of duty.
Abba Kyari, then an Assistant Commissioner of Police and head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, arrived in Offa town with his team to assess the situation and track down the perpetrators. As usual he followed up the case with doggedness and calculated use of advanced technology in getting the deadly armed robbers arrested.
The police team led by Kyari were able to arrest 12 additional suspects in connection with the robbery, recovering items such as handsets, iPads, and SIM cards belonging to the victims.
Some of the suspects arrested included Adegoke Shogo, Kayode Opadokun, Kazeem Abdulrasheed, Azeez Abdullahi, and Alexander Reuben, among others. The police also recovered firearms and ammunition from the suspects.
It’s soul lifting that on Thursday a Kwara State High Court sentenced the five suspects to death by hanging for their role in the infamous bank robbery. The convicted suspects, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham, were found guilty of armed robbery, culpable homicide, and illegal possession of firearms.
The suspects also made off with 21 brand new AK-47 rifles from the police station’s armoury in the devastating attack, which claimed the lives of nine policemen and several civilians during the daring robbery that targeted at least five commercial banks in Offa town.
The judge, Justice Haleemah Salman, handed down the sentence after a three-and-a-half-hour judgment, in which he also imposed a three-year prison sentence for illegal possession of firearms. The prosecution views this verdict as a closure for the victims’ families and a deterrent to potential criminals.
As this sentence marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their loved ones, the Nigerian state needs to revisit Abba Kyari’s case and acquit him of the unfounded allegations levelled against.
It has been proven repeatedly that the then Deputy Commissioner of Police is merely a victim of media trial before the actual judicial trial upon which the judges have been adjudicating over trumped up charges.
Also his alleged link with Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, alias Hushpuppi which was highly exaggerated by the media and sponsored by some very rich criminal groups he fought doggedly during his service, has been dismissed by the Federal High Court 5 on 29/8/2022.
Given Abba Kyari’s contributions to solving this case, likewise thousands of similar others, Nigerians are calling for his acquittal from the trumped up allegations levelled against him, citing that he’s a victim of media trial and set up. They argue that his unprecedented and unparalleled expertise is needed to address Nigeria’s current security challenges.
The Nigeria Police Force and the Presidency at this crucial moment of overwhelming security challenges need the services of Abba Kyari to step in and arrest the drift and revamp the almost collapsed and overwhelmed security architecture.
Keeping our best hands away in prison custody on grounds of unproven allegations while the nation groans under insecurity and citizens’ blood flowing from bandits’ daily senseless attacks is a complete embrace for the looming anarchy.
Nigeria is indeed a strange place because unlike other climes like the US, officers and citizens like Abba Kyari would not have been incarcerated in such trump up charges that have remained unproven while terrorists, bandits and armed robbers are having a field day, terrorising, kidnapping and making life miserable for helpless citizens.
Leadership is about taking a hard decision, and in Abba Kyari’s case, it’s an easy decision to make—that the country’s best hands should lead the fight against threats. The last thing the country needs now is the increasing budget on insecurity in the absence of resources yet in the presence of people like Abba Kyari who can simply solve the problems.
All the president needs to do is look back at Abba Kyari’s record, which includes the decimation and arrest of 52 Boko Haram terrorist Suicide bombing Coordinators in Borno State, kidnappers of Chief Olu Falae, killers of Reverend Father Adeyi in Benue, killers of former Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh, and arrest of Notorious Billionaire kidnapper Evans. Deadliest kidnap Kingpins in Northern Nigeria like Halti, Yellow, Kachalla Manu, and Zakari Yau.
Also, the highly decorated and rated super cop arrested the deadliest kidnapper in Nigeria”s history terrorising South East and South South Henry Chibuze aka Vampire, Godogodo Nigeria’s most wanted Armed robbery Kingpin for 14 years responsible for over 70 Bank robberies and killing of over 500 innocent Nigerians and over 100 Security agents in the Southwest also 52 Ak47 rifles recovered from him and his group, Umar Abdulmalik terrorist leader and mastermind of the Abuja terrorist Bombings of 2015 that cost many lives.
Also, assassin Ade lawyer, Urban Guerilla leader of Niger Delta Avengers who bombed many oil pipelines, arrest of the deadly Lagos bank robbers that robbed banks in Lekki, Ikorodu, Festac and Agbara, rescue of the Lagos School children kidnapped in Ikorodu, Epe and Ogun Turkish school and arrest of all the kidnappers, arrest of the kidnappers of a First Class Monarch in Lagos Oniba of Iba among too many others to mention.
This is therefore a call to President Bola Tinubu to act and act fast. Your administration will be judged by key problems, top of which is insecurity, which has worsened and impacted so badly on the economy and general life of the citizens.
The president has the time to do it right and now. Otherwise history would not be so kind.
Azeez Folusho
Centre For Democracy and Human Rights, CEDEHUR. 28/9/2024.