By Ralph Christopher, with agency reports
A former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Offa Police Station in Kwara State, Adamu Danjuma, has narrated how daredevil armed robbers on April 5, 2018, killed nine police officers and eight others in cold blood in the town, saying he missed being killed by whiskers.
Alhaji Danjuma, who was the station’s DPO then, narrated how he narrowly escaped the robbers’ bullets.
Five banks and the Offa Police Station were attacked by the robbers during the incident.
The suspects: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran were facing trial at the High Court in Ilorin, where the ex-DPO gave the evidence.
Danjuma said the Armed robbers destroyed the police armoury and carted away 21 AK-47 rifles and assorted ammunitions.
Giving evidence, Danjuma who is the fifth prosecution witness (PW5), said the robbers used explosives and guns to attack the banks and the police post.
He gave the names of the police officers and men that were kulled by the suspected robbers as: Julius Pelemo (ASP), Yusuf Danjuma (Inspector), Grace Makinde (Inspector) and Oke Kayode (Inspector).
Others were Sergeants Mustapha Kolawole, Bilikisu Babawale, Abimbola Adedokun, Yootum Nakoma and Monday Isa.
He gave evidence as follows: “On the said date at about 4:45pm, I heard gunshots from the direction of Captain Cook Eatery Junction in the town.
“After two minutes interval, I heard sporadic shootings from that direction heading towards the police station.
“Immediately, I came out of my office to the charge room (counter), and the shootings were approaching the station.
“In response I also fired gunshots into the air from my pistol.
“As a result, there was temporary stoppage of shootings from outside.
“Suddenly, the shootings started coming in from different directions towards the station.
“A lady who was manning the pedestrian gate was shot in the arm, making her to abandon the place and ran for her dear life. The shootings continued.
“Thereafter, the robbers released explosives into the security tower of the station.
“Another explosive was released and it hit the main road.
“This melee disorganised the whole station. Then the ammunition in my pistol got exhausted.
“This made me run for cover at the back of the station’s mosque.
“At the back of the mosque I sighted three of the armed robbers chasing ASP Julius Pelemo to the back of the station’s fence.
Then I heard the shout of the late Julius after a gunshot. After that, I heard one of the robbers calling those ones that ran after the late ASP to come over to the charge room (counter).
“One of them entered the Surveillance Office and killed a police woman who was there.
“From there two of them ran to the charge room (counter).
“I changed my position to the toilet near the back of the fence”.
Recall that the robbers had robbed several banks in Offa, took over the Police Station, ransacked the station’s armoury, killed and maimed several people, including police officers and made away with their loot, but were subsequently arrested.
