A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Monday granted the prayer of the defence counsel asking for an independent examination of the alleged gunshot injuries sustained by three accused persons alleged to have participated in the April 5, 2018 robbery incident in Offa.

Five accused persons are standing trial in the robbery case. They are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salaudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.

But the court refused a post-mortem examination on the corpse of the principal suspect in the robbery incident, Michael Adikwu, who the accused persons claimed, was deliberately killed by a police inspector while in custody at the force headquarters in Abuja.

The court, during a “trial within trial” on Monday, granted the prayer of the defence counsel, Mr Mathias Emeribe, asking for an independent examination of the alleged gunshot injuries sustained by the first, second and third accused persons detained in police custody during the investigation of the robbery incident.

Earlier, the 5th accused person (Niyi Ogundiran), had narrated to the court how the police extracted confessional statement from him under duress.


The first, second and third accused persons had at the last adjourned date accused the police of shooting them in the legs to instill fear in them before extracting statements from them.

They also alleged that the police shot Adikwu dead while in their custody contrary to the police narrative that the man died of an ailment in a hospital.

Inspector Hitila Hassan, the second prosecution witness, who was the investigating police officer in the case, told the court that Adikwu died of malaria and typhoid while in police custody in Abuja.

But following the allegations by the accused persons that the police forced them to explain their role in the robbery operation, the defence counsel applied “for an independent medical examination of the legs of the first, second and third accused persons to determine whether the wounds in their legs are products of gunshots.

“I also ask for an order to carry out autopsy on the corpse of Michael Adikwu, the principal suspect so as to find corroboration to evidence of especially the 5th accused person as well as all the other three accused persons.

“The essence of this is not unconnected with the fact that Adikwu was initially one of the accused persons charged along with others and it is important that one of their own was allegedly killed before them.

“The fact of the cause of his death must be determined in order to find out the truth as to how the confessional statements were obtained.

“The name of Michael Adikwu was repeated consistently by all the four accused persons in this trial within trial and I think it will be in the interest of justice for the accused persons to put in a proper defence to get the result of that medical examination.”

But the prosecution counsel, Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), opposed the application, describing it as strange.

Egbewole said, “I urge the court to refuse this strange application, justice is not a one-way traffic. It is available to all the parties and not only for the accused persons.

“For the record, this is a trial within trial specifically to determine the voluntariness of the statements of the accused persons. It is not for the court to look for evidence to corroborate his allegation. It is for him to do that.

“This application is tantamount to inviting your lordship to come to the arena. The application is clearly shopping for evidence. The shooting of Adikwu has no relevance to the issues of a trial within trial.”

In her ruling, Justice Salman said, “The court will avail all the parties all the facilities available in this case. It is therefore in the interest of justice and fair hearing to allow for a medical examination to know whether the healed wounds in the three suspects’ legs emanated from gunshots. I therefore grant the first prayer.
Justice Salman adjourned the case to April 8.

Source :https://punchng.com/offa-robbery-court-grants-defence-request-to-examine-cause-of-suspects-injuries/

After examination
Medical examiner : "My lord, Michael adikwu died of malaria,typhoid,meningitis, staphylococcus, Jedi Jedi, piles and constant farts. The three other accused persons have worms in their cells. These worms bore holes in the legs of people especially criminals. I suggest fumigation of their cells to prevent further reoccurrence."

Baba no go want make them shoot him leg too.


BTW I love what the police did. They knew God was not happy with Michael so they sent him to meet him so that he can personally ask for forgiveness.

weldone

If you judge wrongly, the best Judge (God) will rejudge

The offa robbery case story have no head or tail.

Probably police are wasting their precious time.

if only the Judiciary can continue with this momentum. .they are on fire. but this OFFA robbery sef. the case no dey finish

jericco1:
if only the Judiciary can continue with this momentum. .they are on fire. but this OFFA robbery sef. the case no dey finish

because of saraki names , they are playing politics with it

I'm suprised this thing is still ongoing. Let justice get served. The situation was a national tragedy.

They want to finish saraki this time around

b0rn2fuck:
because of saraki names , they are playing politics with it

the thing just tire me oh. I hope they are not withholding evidence(s) sha

Death by hanging please

Ok. Dem neva finish these guys since?

Good one from the judge.

So the courts are looking for ways to release the payment that killed 33 of it's citizens

But the court refused a post-mortem examination on the corpse of the principal suspect in the robbery incident, Michael Adikwu, who the accused persons claimed, was deliberately killed by a police inspector while in custody at the force headquarters in Abuja.




All there plans is to see that bukola is roped. Useless charge and bail judges

naija police and shooting of legs,..I wonder wetin they gain

Why use such force to extract confession from criminals with so much evidence already available thru the video surveillance.
These robbers can't deny their role in the robbery but these shooting was done to.rope in saraki,the main culprit was executed cos he was not a common thug linked to saraki and his testament would have rubbised their lies.
I'm truly disappointed in Abba kyari. This shows every Nigerian police has the same mentality.

So this case still dey drag leg?




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This is what I always talk about; our law enforcement officers must change their investigative method to a more realistic and lawful means.... Not those archaic and irresponsible methods that can end up make the case useless....i won't be surprised if the accused are discharged in the end if there lawyers can successfully proof a case of forcing them to confess under duress expecially with by shooting them in the leg. It's very sad; we should have moved beyond such irresponsible method long time ago.

When they refused to parade the adikwu guy i knew he had been killed

The law have two sides if not I see no reason for the delay in this case more than a month.

Oise10:
See bellow

Too early guyman

With the gravity of offence those robbers committed I wonder why their judgment is still been delayed, well the end justifies the means


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The so-called trial of offa robbery suspects is a charade. Robbery is a state offence and the prosecution counsel, a lecturer at Unilorin, is a well-known Saraki's personal lawyer. Only a mumu will believe that kwara state government led by Saraki surrogates will prosecute Saraki to conviction in a state court presided over by Saraki's "sister", Justice Halima Saliman. To complete the circus, the defence counsel was handpicked by the prosecution. So, when you hear later that the judge has dismissed the case, remember that you read it here that that's what would happen. Ha, God dey o! No earthly justice for the 33 people that were killed by the robbers using Saraki-supplied Ak-47s.

Shibaraba:
After examination
Medical examiner : "My lord, Michael adikwu died of malaria,typhoid,meningitis, staphylococcus, Jedi Jedi, piles and constant farts. The three other accused persons have worms in their cells. These worms bore holes in the legs of people especially criminals. I suggest fumigation of their cells to prevent further reoccurrence."

Baba no go want make them shoot him leg too.


BTW I love what the police did. They knew God was not happy with Michael so they sent him to meet him so that he can personally ask for forgiveness.

Don't trust nija police, if Michael Adikwu was a good boy (always give returns from road block) they would have release him to go to Gambia or Tanzania till the dust settle over this case.