How nine police officers were shot dead in Offa- DPO

Former District Police Officer (DPO) of Offa police station, Offa
local government area of Kwara state Adamu Danjuma Monday narrated in
graphic details how daredevil armed robbers in April 5th, 2018
allegedly killed nine police officers and eleven civilians in cold
blood in the ancient town.

Danjuma, who was the station’s DPO then revealed how he escaped the
robbers’ bullets by the skin of his teeth, said he ran from pillar to
post while the operation lasted.

During the operation no fewer than five banks and Offa police post
were attacked by the suspected robbers.

All the accused; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola
Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran were present in court
Monday.

The police boss said armed robbers allegedly destroyed the police
armoury and carted away 21 AK47 rifles.

Giving evidence in a Kwara state High Court, Ilorin at the resumed
hearing of the case, Danjuma who is the fifth prosecution witness
(PW5), added that the suspected armed robbers also used
explosive to attack banks and the police post.

He gave the names of the police officers and men that were gunned down
by the suspected robbers as Julius Pelemo (ASP), Yusuf Danjuma
(Inspector), Grace Makinde (Inspector) and Oke Kayode (Inspector).

Others are Sergeants Mustapha Kolawole, Bilikisu Babawale,
AbimbolaAdedokun, Yootum Nakoma and Monday Isa.

He said: “On the said date at about 4:45pm I heard a gunshot from the
direction of Captain Cook Eatery Junction in the town; two minutes’
interval I heard sporadic shootings from that direction heading
towards my police station. Immediately, I came out of my office to the
charge room (counter). 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 one of her arms making her to abandon the place and ran for
her dear life. The shootings continued.

“Thereafter, the robbers released explosive into the security tower of
the station. Another explosive was released and it hit the main road
and bored deep hole on the role. This melee disorganized the whole
station. Then the ammunition in my pistol had got exhausted. This made
me to 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. Then 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 shot dead a police woman. From them two of
them ran to the charge room (counter).

“I now changed my position to the toilet near the back of the fence.
At that place I was able to communicate with the state Commissioner of
police, deputy commissioner, operations and the command’s spokesperson
seeking for reinforcement. While this was happening at the state,
simultaneously I was hearing gunshots at the banks direction in the
town. I was also hearing explosions and accompanying flames around
banks area.

“At interval of between five and 10 minutes I would hear shootings
from the charge room, making it impossible for me to come out of the
toilet. After a while I heard shouts from the town that ‘olee they don
go.’ From the toilet I headed straight to the charge room and then to
the armoury to see the level of damage. When I entered the armoury I
discovered that they had broken the armoury key. Then I went to my
office and took my office padlock to lock the armoury.”

The police chief said that three civilians killed in his station by
the robbers were one suspect and two witnesses.

He continued “while I was planning to take corpses of the deceased to
the mortuary, the Administrative Officer of Mopol came into the
station with two police officers shot death on their duty post at the
banks. In addition, other people brought in corpses of civilians
killed by the robbers.”

He said he was instrumental for the conveyance of the 17 corpses to
the General Hospital in Ilorin for autopsy and got their death
certificates.

“When I did a preliminary investigation and took inventory of the arms
remaining in the armoury. Then we mopped up of the expended ammunition
and deposited same at the state headquarters in Ilorin,” he said.

Among the recovered exhibits, he said, are two expended 5.6mm black
ammunition; four 5.6mm live ammunition; 39 expended 7.6mm ammunition;
one expended 9mm ammunition; one live 5.6mm ammunition, four pellets
and cartridge safety box labeled Ikoyi, Lagos, Ministry of Police
Affairs.

Hearing of the case continues Tuesday.