Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has adjourned the trial of five suspects accused of robbing banks and killing several people in Offa last year.
Justice Halimah Salman adjourned the case on Friday after the new prosecutor pleaded with the court to give him more time to properly study the case. Professor Wahab Egbewole told the court that he was ready to present four police officers as witnesses, but he was given fiat to proceed with the case by the Attorney General of the State on Thursday.’
The defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe, did not object to the adjournment.
He, however, said he was prepared for the prosecutor to show that they have the capacity to do well in the case.
Justice Salman thereafter adjourned the case till January 25 and stated that she reluctantly took the decision.
She, therefore, warned the prosecutor to be serious about the case.
The suspects were alleged to be among the armed men who stormed the town in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State in April 2018 and robbed some banks.
Justice Salman had adjourned the case on Monday last week due to the absence of witnesses and exhibits by the police to prosecute the case.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Jimoh Mumini, had informed the court that all the witnesses in the case were policemen who investigated the incident.
“No witness was taken from Offa where the robbery took place and none from Kwara State,” Mumini had told the trial judge.
In her ruling, the trial judge vacated the order of definite hearing earlier given on November 13, 2018, and adjourned till January 18.