Some police officers allegedly collected the sum of N400,000 from the armed robbers that attacked some banks in Offa town, Kwara State.

Vanguard reports that the presence of the suspected armed robbers was made known to the police by the proprietor of Xontec Hotel on Igosun Road in Offa, Kadir Surajudeen.

Reports said Surajudeen called the Divisional Police Officer of Owode Police Station to report the presence of the suspected criminals that had lodged in the hotel.

The report was prompted by the discovery of some incriminating materials that were found on the robbers while they were checking into the hotel.

A source said when the DPO and Divisional Crime Officer sent officers to the hotel to assess the situation, the suspects negotiated a deal and offered them the sum of N400,000.

The officers reportedly returned to the station and lied that the suspects were internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys, and not robbers as was reported.

The source said,

“It was not surprising that the robbers visited the police station the following day and killed about nine policemen in retaliation for collecting N400,000 from them.” 

The spokesperson of the the Kwara State Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, denied the allegation and questioned why Surajudeen didn’t deny the robbers lodging.

He said,

“If the hotelier actually gave the Police information about the suspects in his hotel, why didn’t he deny them lodging? To me, it is an afterthought.”

Meanwhile, the owner of the hotel, Surajudeen, four members of his staff and four guests who stayed in the hotel at the time the robbers allegedly lodged in were arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Ilorin last week charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence, including giving false information to screen an offender.

The hotel staff charged along with Surajudeen are the accountant, receptionist, room keeper and clubhouse operator.

The accused, however, were unable to help investigators with useful information.

The charge sheet read,

“The hotel staff could not, however, satisfactorily give account of questionable lodgers in their hotel prior to the robbery by their failure to maintain or keep proper official lodger 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.”

The Magistrate, M.B. Folorunso, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 each with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till May 3, 2018.