Osun Highway Robbery: Police Link Ex-Convicts To 5 Vehicles, N50m Valuables Stolen

The police have linked two suspected ex-convicts, Ejike Ani, 32, and Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31, to a highway robbery gang allegedly responsible for stealing about five vehicles and valuables estimated at N50 million along the Ife-Ilesa Expressway in Osun State.

The suspects were arrested at different locations in Lagos by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit following investigations into a series of robbery incidents along the expressway.

The incidents reportedly occurred on August 20 and September 20, 2026, with the suspects allegedly linked to the gang’s operations during which vehicles and other valuables were stolen from victims.

During interrogation, Ani and Anasihwe reportedly disclosed that they first met while serving prison sentences and reunited after their release.

Ani, who attributed his alleged involvement in the robberies to financial hardship, said mounting debts and the cost of his mother’s eye surgery contributed to his decision to join the gang.

He claimed that his mother’s eye surgery cost N800,000 and that he was struggling financially at the time.

Ani also alleged that members of the gang used sticks wrapped with tape to make them look like guns while carrying out their operations.

According to his account, the gang robbed victims of a Toyota Corolla, mobile phones and cash. He claimed that he received N10,000 on two occasions for his participation in the criminal activities.

Anasihwe confirmed that he met Ani while they were both in prison and that they reconnected after their release.

However, he claimed that he participated in only one robbery and denied involvement in a later incident involving a traditional ruler. He said he had already been arrested before that incident occurred.

The suspects’ accounts form part of the ongoing police investigation into the robbery incidents and the activities of the alleged gang.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Tijani, said preliminary investigations had linked the suspects to the reported incidents along the Ife-Ilesa Expressway.

Tijani said the arrests were in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intensify operations against criminal activities.

The police are continuing their investigations to establish the full extent of the suspects’ alleged involvement, including their possible connections to the stolen vehicles and valuables.

The allegations against the suspects have yet to be proven in court.