ANINI: What You Didn’t Know About Nigeria’s Most Notorious Criminal
In the Beginning
Anini was born in a village about 20 miles from Benin City in
present-day Edo State. Anini, dreadfully called ‘The Law’ or ‘Ovbigbo’.
He migrated to Benin at an early age, learned to drive and became a
skilled taxi driver. He became known in Benin motor parks as a man who
could control the varied competing interests among motor park touts and
operators. He later dived into the criminal business in the city and
soon became a driver and transporter for gangs, criminal godfathers and
thieves.
Forming a gang
he decided to create his own gang which included, Monday Osunbor,
Friday Ofege, Henry Ekponwan, Eweka and Alhaji zed zed or Zegezege who
was never captured. They started out as car hijackers, bus robbers and
bank thieves. Gradually, he extended his criminal acts to other towns
and cities far north and east of Benin.
Hatred for Police
The complicity of the police is believed to have triggered Anini’s
reign of terror in 1986. In early 1986, two members of his gang were
tried and prosecuted against an earlier under-the-table ‘agreement’ with
the police to destroy evidence against the gang members. The incident,
and Anini’s view of police betrayal, is believed to have spurred
retaliatory actions by Anini. In August, 1986, a fatal bank robbery
linked to Anini was reported in which a police officer (Nathaniel
Egharevba)and others were killed. That same month, two officers on duty
were shot at a barricade while trying to stop Anini’s car. During a span
of three months, he was known to have killed nine police officers.
The height of Anini’s exploits, however, took place on October 1,
1986, the Independence Day when the state’s Commissioner of Police,
Casmir Igbokwe was ambushed by the gang in Benin, and nearly yanked off
his nose in a hail of bullets.
Nigeria’s historic Armed Robber
Anini’s image thus loomed larger than life, dwarfing those of Ishola
Oyenusi, the king of robbers in the 1970s and Youpelle Dakuro, the army
deserter who masterminded the most vicious daylight robbery in Lagos in
1978, in which two policemen were killed. Anini thus spearheaded a
four-month reign of terror between August and December 1986. Anini also
reportedly wrote numerous letters to media houses using political tones
of Robin Hood-like words, to describe his criminal acts.
Hopes were fading
Worried by the seeming elusiveness of Anini and his gang members, the
military President, General Ibrahim Babangida then ordered a massive
manhunt for the kingpin and his fellow robbers. The police thus went
after them, combing every part of Bendel State where they were
reportedly operating and living. The whole nation was gripped with fear
of the robbers and their daredevil exploits. However, Police manhunt
failed to stop their activities; the more they were hunted, the more
intensified their activities became.
How he was caught
Finally, it took the courage of Superintendent of Police, Kayode
Uanreroro to bring the Anini reign of terror to an end. On December 3,
1986, Uanreroro caught Anini at No 26, Oyemwosa Street, opposite
Iguodala Primary School, Benin City, in company with six women. Acting
on a tip-off from the locals, the policeman went straight to the house
where Anini was hiding and apprehended him with very little resistance.
Uanreroro led a crack 10-man team to the house, knocked on the door of
the room, and Anini himself, clad in underpants, opened the door. “Where
is Anini,” the police officer quickly enquired.
Dazed as he was caught off guard and having no escape route, Anini
all the same tried to be smart. “Oh, Anini is under the bed in the inner
room”. As he said it, he made some moves to walk past Uanreroro and his
team. In the process, he shoved and head-butted the police officer but
it was an exercise in futility. Uanreroro promptly reached for his gun,
stepped hard on Anini’s right toes and shot at his left ankle. Anini
surged forward but the policemen took hold of him and put him in a
sitting position. They then pumped more bullets into his shot leg and
almost severed the ankle from his entire leg. Already, anguished by the
excruciating pains, the policemen asked him, “Are you Anini?” And he
replied, “My brother, I won’t deceive you; I won’t tell you lie, I’m
Anini.”
Confession Time
Anini was shot in the leg, transferred to a military hospital, and
had one of his legs amputated. That was after Monday Osunbor was also
captured. When Anini’s hideout was searched, police recovered assorted
charms, including the one he usually wore around his waist during
“operations”. It was instructive that after Anini was captured and
dispossessed of his charms, the man who terrorised a whole state and who
was supposed to be fearless suddenly became remorseful, making
confessions.
The Police Who Assisted Them
Shortly after the arrest of Anini and co, the dare-devil robbers
began to squeal, revealing the roles played by key police officers and
men, in the aiding and abetting of criminals in Bendel State and the
entire country. Anini particularly revealed that Iyamu, who was the most
senior police officer shielding the robbers, would reveal police
secrets to them and then, give them logistic supports such as arms, to
carry out robbery operations. He further revealed that Iyamu, after each
operation, would join them in sharing the loot.
Trial and execution Edit
Due to amputation of his leg, Anini was confined to a wheelchair
throughout his trial. Iyamu, on his part, denied ever knowing and
collaborating with Anini, but Anini The Law furiously retorted, “You are
a shameless liar!” Anini had accused him before Justice James Omo-Agege
in the High Court of Justice, off Sapele Road in Benin City. Of the 10
police officers Anini implicated, five were convicted. The robbery
suspects, including Iyamu, were sentenced to death.
Judgement
But in passing his judgement, Justice Omo-Agege remarked, “Anini will
forever be remembered in the history of crime in this country, but it
would be of unblessed memory. Few people if ever, would give the name to
their children.” Their execution took place on March 29, 1987.
