Offa robbery: Hotelier, staff charged to court

Proprietor and staff of the hotel where suspected Offa, Kwara state bank robbers lodged before launching their attack have been charged to court.

The accused were arraigned before an magistrate court in Ilorin, for alleged conspiracy over the criminal act of the robbers.

Staffers of the hotel arraigned are the accountant, a receptionist, a room keeper and a club house operator

Also arraigned are four lodgers at the time the suspected robbers also lodged there.

All the accused including the four lodgers are of residential addresses of the town.

They were arraigned on a 2-count charge of criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence and giving false information to screen an offender.

The police who arraigned them said the offences contravened sections 97 and 167 of the Penal Code Law.

The police said on April 6, a team of operatives on investigation into the armed robbery attack extend their investigation based on intelligent gathering to the hotel located along Igosun Road in Offa with the view of securing information that could assist discreet investigation into the crime.

They said the hotel staff could not however satisfactorily give account of questionable lodgers in their hotel prior to the robbery incident by their failure to maintain or keep proper official lodgers register expected to be presented to the police and other law enforcement agencies on demand.

“Others found in the hotel during the investigation failed to give credible information to the police operatives to assist in the investigation concerning their observation in the hotel within the period in question,” says the Police First Information Report (FIR)

The prosecutor, inspector David Wodi, told the court that investigation into the case was yet to be completed.

The defence counsel, Joshua Ijaodola prayed the court to admit the accused to bail pending the outcome of the investigation as he submitted that the nation’s constitution presumed the accused innocent until the contrary is proved

The prosecutor did not oppose the application for bail as he left the bail to the discretion of the court.

The Magistrate, Mrs M.B. Folorunso admitted the accused to a sum of N200,000 bail each and two sureties in like sum.
She then adjourned the case till May 3rd, this year for further mention.