HISTORY ON THURSDAYS WITH COLLYBRIGHT




DOCTOR OYENUSI - Nigeria’s Deadliest Armed Robber


Couple of weeks ago I shared with you the story of one of the notorious armed robbers Nigeria have ever produced, I mean the story of ANINI. I personally love digging into deep-rooted histories, as they say that The past is the mother of the present that is pregnant of tomorrow!

His name is Ishola Oyenusi, popularly known as Doctor Oyenusi. Was he really a doctor? Well you'll find out later. He was a notorious armed robber who terrorized the people of Lagos and other neighboring cities in the 1970s. I guess these guys have their location dominance.
Ishola Oyenusi and his 6-member gang were dangerously skilled in snatching cars, robbing banks, invading factories, pulling down assorted stores and killing people without mercy. Doctor Oyenusi, as he was called, was NOT a doctor by profession but adopted the title for the fun of it. The evidence lies in a confession he made few minutes before his execution. He confessed that his parents were not capable of furthering his secondary school education and that was what forced him into robbery. By all standards, he couldn't have been a medical doctor without having to pass through a formal education.
Oyenusi kicked off his robbery career by snatching a car (whose owner died in the process) just because his (Oyenusi) girlfriend needed some money. It was said by some people that Oyenusi was romantic. He sold the car at the price of N400 and gave the money to his girlfriend. It was also said that Oyenusi was hot tempered and arrogant. During his arrest, he thundered down on a police officer who was ushering him around. He said,
“people like you don’t talk to me like that when I’m armed, I gun them down!”

Oyenusi came into limelight after the Nigerian civil war ended in 1970. He robbed banks and people in both broad daylight and night, and he never let any of his victims live to tell the story, he killed them all! This earned him the name “Doctor Rob and Kill“. At the height of his horrific reign, Oyenusi bragged that “the bullet has no power“. He never remembered that he who lives by the sword will surely die by the sword. Oyenusi was so infamous that he was regarded by some people as the “first celebrated armed robber in Nigeria“, and after him was Lawrence Anini, and others like Babatunde Folorunsho (Baba oni lace), Shina Rambo, Buraimo Jimoh and others which I'll be sharing their stories with you on my blog as time goes on.
Nothing, they say last forever, and as they say, everyday is for the thief, one day is for the owner.
Sometime around March 1971, Oyenusi was nabbed by the police during one of his robbery operations in which he and his notorious gang killed a police constable named Mr. Nwi and stole a huge sum of money amounting tens of thousands in dollars. Cloud of shame hovered around Doctor Ishola Oyenusi as he was casted before the law and found guilty then sentenced to death by firing squad. Oyenusi confessed that he was not to die alone because he did not commit the crimes alone. He named other members of the gang in likes of Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, among others. In those days, public execution popularly called capital punishment was the order of the day. So when Oyenusi was patrolled to the popular Bar Beach in Lagos where he was to be executed, more than 30,000 Nigerians were anxiously waiting to see the unforgiving beast that devours lives and shattered homes to be paid back with his own coin. It was even reported that some group of persons brought a coffin to the execution ground to mock the once mighty robber kingpin who was now nothing but a sort of example to the world.

Trucks carrying Oyenusi and his executors arrived at the execution ground around 10:00 am. Doctor Oyenusi, his gang members and some other criminals remorsefully matched down. People jeered and booed them. The celebration on people's face, for once, was far more important than that of Eid-el-fitr nor Christmas. Oyenusi donned a dark long-sleeve shirt and had his hands tied behind him, while covered in his own sweat, as though he tried to belly with his smiles. He kept smiling, but could still not hide the agony and terror written boldly on his face.
Few minutes before he was sporadically shot, Oyenusi told journalists that he would not have ventured into armed robbery if his parents were capable of sending him to secondary school. He also said,
“I am dying for the offense I have committed “.

Oyenusi and other criminals were fastened to the stakes. The soldiers lined in front of them and aimed their unforgiving cold iron (guns). Some of the criminals yelled their last words of protest at the cameras. Then a loud voice let out the word,
"fire!!!"
Oyenusi and other criminal’s body were horrifically adorned with bullets. That was the justifiable bitter end of Ishola Oyenusi who lived by the bullets and died by the bullets.
After his execution, the fear of Oyenusi is the begining of safety, he sent the streets of Lagos deserted at night, families locked themselves behind doors for the fear that the dreadful man’s boys might retaliate.
This fear lasted long that even in 1977, the veteran movie director, Eddie Ugbomah, called for actors to play the role of Oyenusi in a movie he was about to produce titled “ The Rise and Fall of Dr. Oyenusi“, but no actor was brave enough to step forward to play the role. They all feared that Oyenusi’s boys might show them pepper.
Eddie Ugbomah had no choice than to play the role of Oyenusi himself. In the movie, he revealed the secrets of top Nigerian officials and military men backing Oyenusi and his gang by providing them money and weapons. As expected, Eddie Ugbomah was threatened and later, his store was looted. He was told in a letter to stop shooting the movie and everything would be returned to him. But Eddie Ugbomah proved not to be a coward by eventually releasing the movie in 1977.
Well, in recent times, popular Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola , also released a movie (Oyenusi) detailing the life of Ishola Oyenusi, the notorious Nigerian armed robber. (Act of bravery you'll say?...lol)
Just as the name of ANINI will forever be remembered in the history of crime in Nigeria, so also would Doctor Oyenusi's.

Reference and Photo Credit:
Osifodunrin, Paul Ayodele; Dec. 2007; Armed Robbery and Murder in Lagos, 1960-2000; Violent Crimes in Lagos, 1861–2000: Nature, Responses, and Impact. University of Lagos.



Source: Mccollybright.blogspot.com.ng

About The Author: Adeshile Adekolajo

Adeshile Adekolajo is a graduate from the University of Abuja, He works for Ntel Nigeria and we owns - Mccollybright.blogspot.com

He is a writer, blogger and poet, to read more of his interesting and educative articles, please log on to - mccollybright.blogspot.com.ng



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