Offa robbery: I intentionally attacked police station, killed policemen – Ex-SARS official

A suspect in the Offa, Kwara State robbery, Michael Adikwu, has told his interrogators that he deliberately targeted police station and killed policemen for vendetta. Adikwu, a dismissed police corporal, was formerly working with the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Kwara State Police Command. 


He took part in the deadly Offa bank robbery in which several people, including policemen, were killed.
Adikwu and members of his gang confessed to have been high on tramadol and other influencing drugs on the day of the operation. He was alleged to have moved from one office to the other, shooting and killing every policeman in sight.
This was even as his gang members disclosed that it was Adikwu, who organised and led the bank robbery operation. While fielding questions from operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence and Response Team (IRT), led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abba Kyari, the suspect confessed to have single-handedly killed over 20 people, majority of whom were policemen.

A police source disclosed: “Adikwu used to serve with SARS, Kwara State Police Command until he got involved in robbery. Investigations revealed that some armed robbers, who robbed and killed an innocent citizen, were arrested.
Adikwu, then a corporal, collected money from them and released them. He was subsequently arrested, tried and dismissed. He was charged to court together with the re-arrested armed robbers. He served three years in prison. How he came out of prison is still a mystery.”
Since then, Adikwu had been embittered and vowed to deal with policemen. The suspect told IRT operatives that his killing of the policemen was not a mistake, but a deliberate action.
A member of the gang, Kunle Ogunleye aka Arrow, also confessed to have killed two people on the day of the operation. Another member of the gang, Abel, said that he killed five people. Abel reportedly said: “I killed five people, but I sprayed bullets on many people. I don’t know if they died. I can only confirm the death of five people, who I witnessed myself.”

A police source said: “Adikwu, the dismissed SARS corporal, while in prison, had been threatening to the hearing of other inmates, that he would kill as many policemen as possible once he had the opportunity.
He said that since police dismissed and made him go to prison because he released armed robbers, that he too would deal with the police.” The source added that Adikwu was the mastermind of the robbery.
He was alleged to have recruited other members and had a series of meetings with them, planning the Offa robbery operation. “The gang went to Offa three times on surveillance mission.

The police station and banks were carefully studied. “It was Adikwu that led three gang members, including Arrow into the police station, other gang members stayed outside. He led the three gang members into the station. The four of them walked into the station like they came to lodge a complaint.
They concealed their rifles in their clothes and immediately they entered the police station premises, Adikwu opened fire and killed the station guard. “He killed nine people in the police station and carried their rifles. They confessed to have taken tramadol and other drugs before embarking on the operation.
They killed over 30 people that day. Adikwu alone killed more than 20. Adikwu entered the station with three of his gang members. Arrow was among them. They simply took those at the station by surprise. Immediately they entered, they opened fire and started shooting everyone.

The attack on the police station was a vendetta led by the dismissed SARS official. After the operation, he went to each of the banks which were being robbed to issue orders. He was captured on CCTV shouting at his members, telling them what to do and what not to do,” said the police source.
Arrow reportedly told operatives that, “I was among the three people that entered the police station with Adikwu, but I didn’t shoot or kill anyone. It was Adikwu that shot and killed all the policemen. He went from one office to the next, killing everyone. We only gave him cover.”
It was learnt that the suspects might be paraded this week at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Jimoh Moshood. But that would only be after some important arrests had been made. The downfall of Adikwu and members of his gang started after a CCTV of one of the banks, which they attacked, captured their activities.
The IRT men had used that footage to arrest many of the gang members. The robbers robbed several banks, carted away millions and killed over 30 people, including nine policemen. The source added that Adikwu, after leaving prison, went into crime full time.

He met other armed robbers, became friends with them and formed gang. The suspect was also said to have made some criminal friends in the prison. When those came out, they also joined in the new gang. Another police source stated: “After we released the Offa bank robbers’ pictures, we started getting many leads. We arrested Adikwu in Kwara State. His confessions also led to the arrest of two more suspects.”