Ex-convicts arrested over alleged N50m robbery in Osun

Two ex-convicts, Ejike Ani, 32, and Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31, have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command over alleged robbery operations along the Ife-Ilesha Expressway in Osun State, where five vehicles and valuables estimated at N50m were reportedly stolen.

The suspects were arrested at separate locations in Lagos by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit after months of investigation.

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.

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“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.