The police have named a former bank manager and businessman, Olufemi Olushakin, in an armed robbery case brought before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Mr Olushakin, along with two others, is named as a suspect in an armed robbery that took place at Global Signature Hotel in Ibadan at about 5 p.m. on 13 December.
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The police charged the two co-suspects, Ayomide Akanni and David Adewale, with two counts of armed robbery and assault, while stating that Mr Olushakin remains at large.
On Thursday (19 December), the police arraigned Mr Akanni and Mr Adewale before a chief magistrate in Ibadan, Giwa Babalola, who subsequently ordered them to be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Center in Ibadan.
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They pleaded not guilty.
Given that the magistrate’s court lacks jurisdiction over an armed robbery case, the arraignment was a stopgap measure to secure a court’s order for the remand of the suspects pending a review to determine if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute the charge at the High Court.
Armed robbery
According to the charge sheet, the suspects allegedly conspired to commit armed robbery on 13 December at the Global Signature Hotel located beside Enyo Petrol Station, New Gbagi Road, Ibadan, Oyo State.
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The filing said the offence is “punishable under section 6 (b) of the robbery and firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R II Vol. 14 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004”.
In the second count, the police alleged that the suspects, armed with “dangerous weapons,” attacked the hotel manager, Akinola Dare, and dispossessed him of over N2 million that belonged to the hotel.
The count said the suspects “thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (2) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R II Vol. 14 laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.”
Court hearing
During Thursday’s proceedings, the police prosecutor, Kefas Usman, a police inspector, told the court that the suspects forcefully gained entry into Global Signature Hotel in Ibadan by disarming the security officers at the gate.
Mr Usman said the suspects, after making a forceful and unlawful entry into the hotel, went straight to the control room, destroyed the CCTV memory and cut off its machine.
“After vandalising it, they went to the POS machine, took the machines of the company, went to the manager of the hotel, one Dare Akinola, at gunpoint and took him to the cash registry to collect all the sales of the week including room sales, lodgment, bar & hall payment totalling over two million, one hundred and forty thousand Naira,” the prosecutor said.
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He added, “They went to all the rooms, rounded up all the customers, and forcefully asked them to transfer money into Olushakin’s personal account during the robbery.
“At gunpoint, they gathered everybody to the reception, laid them down at gunpoint and in fear of their lives, the customers made cash transfers to Olushakin’s accounts, they vandalised some other things, took the lodgment book, computers, and other equipment.”
The Magistrate, Giwa Babalola, ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Center in Ibadan.
She adjourned the case till 29 January 2025 for further mention, in anticipation that the review of available evidence would have been concluded.
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