Osun Police arrest ex-convicts over alleged ₦50m robbery

Two former inmates, Ejike Ani, aged 32 years, and Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31 years old, have been apprehended by operatives from the Lagos State Police Command over an alleged operation of robberies on the Ife-Ilesha Expressway in Osun State, where five vehicles valued at N50 million have been allegedly snatched.

The two suspects were apprehended at different places in Lagos by operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command.

The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed that preliminary investigations linked the suspects to robbery incidents allegedly committed on August 20 and September 20, 2026.

According to him, the arrests followed a directive by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intensify the fight against criminal activities nationwide.

“During interrogation, the suspects reportedly revealed that they met while serving jail terms at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos and later reunited after their release,” he said.

Ani, an indigene of Ebonyi State and a former clothes seller, blamed his alleged involvement in robbery on poverty, debts and his mother’s medical expenses.

He said he returned to his village after his release from prison in January 2026 but became frustrated by his inability to meet his mother’s eye surgery expenses, estimated at N800,000, and settle outstanding debts.

Ani said he subsequently contacted a former prison acquaintance, identified as Chinedu, who invited him to Lagos and introduced him to other alleged gang members.

He claimed the gang initially abandoned an attempted robbery after motorists were alerted to their presence, but later returned to the highway, where they allegedly dispossessed three men assisting occupants of a broken-down vehicle of a Toyota Corolla, mobile phones and cash.

He further alleged that the gang later snatched a bus during heavy rainfall and robbed a vehicle belonging to a traditional ruler.

Ani claimed the monarch and his driver escaped, while the gang took valuables from the vehicle.

He alleged that he received only N20,000 in two separate payments as his share of the proceeds from one of the operations.

He also claimed the gang sometimes used sticks wrapped in sellotape and fireworks to imitate firearms.

Anasihwe, who also previously sold clothes on Lagos Island, said he met Ani in prison while serving a sentence following a fight with two passengers during his time as a commercial motorcyclist.

He said they reunited in Ijora after their release and subsequently participated in a robbery operation.

However, he denied involvement in the robbery involving the traditional ruler, claiming he had already been arrested.

Meanwhile, investigations were still ongoing to establish the suspects’ respective roles in the alleged robberies.