Ishola Oyenusi - Nigeria's deadliest Armed Robber

Doctor Oyenusi, as he was called, was not a doctor by profession but adopted the title for the fun of it and the evidence lies in the confession he made a few minutes before his execution. Ishola Oyenusi and his gang of six were all highly skilled in snatching cars, robbing banks, factories, stores and killing of people like chickens. He

chose to take the terrible profession of burglary when he admitted that his parents were not fit for facilitating his secondary school and that was what constrained him into theft. So without having an auxiliary school instruction, Oyenusi by no chance could have been a clinical specialist. Specialist Dr Ishola Oyenusi had an

extremely snappy and brilliant time of across the nation acclaim. Everyone knew what his identity was, everyone dreaded his very name. Having begun in the mid 1970s, he was gotten by the police and executed in 1971. In any case, it was very sufficient for him to turn into a legend, however he turned into a bad one. He took his

first vehicle in Lagos since his sweetheart couldn't get by. He sold the vehicle for N400 (imagine 400 naira for a vehicle at that time) and offered it to her and yet the saddest piece of this story is in way that he expected to execute the vehicle owner also. He didn't pick a costly vehicle. It was only the main vehicle he saw on the road.

However, we all know that nothing lasts forever, and as the adage says, everyday belongs to the thief, then one day for the owner. On the 27th of 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 $28,000 as at then.

Cloud of shame hovered above Doctor Ishola Oyenusi as he was casted before the law and found guilty then sentenced to death by firing squad.  He then decide not to die alone, so he then confessed the names of other members of the gang which were as follows: Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, Philip

Ogbolumain, Ademola Adegbitan and also Stephen Ndubuokwu. Oyenusi bragged that “the bullet has no power.” But he probably forgot that he who lives by the sword will surely die by the same 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, Babatunde Folorunsho (Baba oni lace), Shina Rambo, Buraimo Jimoh and others. That was the bitter end of Ishola Oyenusi who lived by the bullets and died by the bullets. The execution of Doctor Ishola Oyenusi sent the streets of Lagos deserted at night.

Families locked themselves behind doors for the fear that some of Oyenusi’s boys might retaliate. This fear lasted for so long that even in the 1977 and the veteran movie director, Eddie Ugbomah, called for actors to play the role of Oyenusi in a movie he was about to produce and titled “The Rise and Fall of Dr. Oyenusi,” but no actor

then 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 and in the movie, he revealed the secrets of top Nigerian officials and also military men backing Oyenusi and his gang by providing them

with money and weapons too and as expected, Eddie Ugbomah was threatened and then later, his store was looted. He was told in letter to stop shooting the movie and that everything would be returned to him. But Eddie Ugbomah also proved not to be a coward by eventually releasing the movie in the 1977 and in the recent times,

a Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, also released a movie (Oyenusi) detailing the life of Ishola Oyenusi, the most notorious Nigerian armed robber. The name Ishola Oyenusi will never be forgotten in the history of crime in Nigeria.