Viral Abia Man Freed After 26 Years Was Convicted of Armed Robbery, Not for Buying a Stolen Generator – Ogun Attorney General

Ogbonna Igbojionu, an Abia State indigene who recently regained his freedom after spending 26 years behind bars, was convicted for armed robbery and not for merely buying a stolen generator, the Ogun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, has clarified.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Ogungbade dismissed widespread claims circulating on social media that Ogbonna was wrongly sentenced to death for unknowingly purchasing a stolen generator. According to the AG, Ogbonna was part of an armed robbery gang that not only stole a generator but also caused the death of a security guard during the incident on October 3, 2000.

The incident occurred at an ELF petrol station along the Abeokuta-Lagos road, where a group of armed robbers attacked the premises around 10 p.m. They overpowered two night guards, Yusuf Akanni and Moses Bankole, hitting them with iron rods. While Akanni survived with severe injuries, Bankole died at the scene after being bound by the attackers. The robbers, including Ogbonna who worked as a generator technician, then carted away a 10 KVA Lister generator from the station.

Days later, police intercepted a suspicious vehicle at the Toll Gate area, where firewood and bags of pure water concealed the stolen generator. Ogbonna, along with two others, failed to provide ownership documents when questioned. As officers attempted to impound the vehicle, the driver and one Kolawole Oladeji fled, leaving Ogbonna behind. He was detained but escaped custody before morning by breaking through the ceiling of the cell.

Investigations eventually led to the arrest of other suspects, including Sunday Oloyede, Kolawole Oladeji, and Segun Ajibade, who then directed police to Ogbonna. By then, the generator had been sold to one Ali Rihan, who returned the item to the police and testified against the gang during trial.

According to the Attorney General, Ogbonna confessed to his role during the trial and did not present any witnesses in his defense. On January 14, 2003, he was sentenced to death. In 2021, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun commuted the sentence to life imprisonment under the prerogative of mercy.

Ogungbade strongly refuted the claims that Ogbonna was a victim of injustice, noting that there was no evidence that Ogbonna ever legally purchased the generator. “If Ogbonna truly owned the generator, he would have presented a receipt or any proof of purchase,” the AG said, adding that Ogbonna issued a receipt when selling the stolen generator to Rihan but failed to provide any such documentation during his trial.

The AG questioned the public narrative and criticized efforts to portray Ogbonna as a victim of Nigeria’s justice system. “Ogbonna’s crime hobbled a business, terrorised Akanni Yusuf, and killed Moses Bankole. These victims or their relations remain today, and attempts to sanitise Ogbonna’s conduct with falsehoods do fresh injustice to the victims,” Ogungbade stated.

He concluded by urging the public to remember the true victim of the robbery, Moses Bankole, and not to be misled by a “misguided quest for justice.” He advised Ogbonna to quietly embrace his freedom if truly reformed, but warned that his current public narrative suggests otherwise.