His name was Ishola Oyenusi, a yoruba man.

Ishola Oyenusi: The rise & fall of the most dangerous armed robber in Nigeria's history
Video ArchiveThu, 24 Sep 2020Source: Naija Loaded
Nigeria has had its fair share of daredevil armed robbers who both stole money and headlines.

After Ishola, the likes of Anini, Shina Rambo etc whom readily come to mind as Nigeria’s most famous armed robbers.

In the 60s & early 70s, Dr. Ishola was terror personified as far as armed robbery is concerned. Eventually became Nigeria first celebrated Armed Robber.

He was known as Ishola Oyenusi (or notoriously known as Dr Oyenusi). Ishola Oyenusi was a real terror.

In the crime books, Dr. Ishola Oyenusi’s full range of crimes included snatching cars, robbing banks, factories, stores and killing people like chickens.

Doctor Oyenusi, as he was fondly called, was not a medical doctor by profession, neither was he an academic doctor. He only adopted the title ‘DOCTOR’ for the fun of it. The evidence of this lies in the confession he made few minutes before he was executed.

Ishola confessed that his parents were not capable of furthering his secondary school education and that was what forced him into robbery.

So without having a secondary school education, Dr Ishola Oyenusi could not have been a medical or academic doctor.

Ishola Oyenusi’s Life

Ishola Oyenusi is from Oyo State, Nigeria. Other part of his background are really sketchy. But what is established is that, Ishola Oyenusi is from a poor family

This was the reason why his parents couldn’t afford his secondary school education, which led to Ishola dropping out of Secondary School.

This was also the ultimate reason Ishola gave as to what led him into a life of armed robbery and crime.



Ishola Oyenusi started his robbery career as early as far back as 1959.

But, Ishola Oyenusi sprang out of the wreckage of the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War.

He was a charismatic, cocksure gangster whose lordly disdain for the law cast the terrifying portent of social breakdown.

Ishola Oyenusi - The romantic armed robber

His first noted criminal act would be an act of love. His girlfriend needed some money badly so Oyenusi went ahead to snatch a car.

He killed the owner of the vehicle. He got N400 from stealing the car and gave it to his girlfriend.



The reason why he was sometimes said to be a romantic armed robber.

Oyenusi was also 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!”

Ishola Oyenusi’s reign of terror


Ishola Oyenusi came into limelight after the Nigerian civil war ended in 1970.

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.

Dr. Oyenusi robbed banks and people in both daylight and night, and he never let any of his victims live to see another day, he killed them all!

This earned him the name “Doctor rob and kill". Dr. No Mercy etc



At the height of his horrific reign, Dr. Oyenusi bragged that “the bullet has no power“.

He probably forgot that he who live by the sword will surely die by the sword.

How Oyenusi was arrested

However, nothing lasts forever, and as the adage says, every day belongs to the thief while a day belongs to the owner.

On 27th of March, 1971, Oyenusi was nabbed by the police during one of his robbery operations on a WAHUM factory 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.

Dr Oyenusi then confessed that he would not die alone because he did not commit the crimes alone.

He then gave out the names of other members of the gang, which were; Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, Philip Ogbolumain, Ademola Adegbitan, and Stephen Ndubuokwu.

During those days, a death sentence was followed by public execution by a firing squad at the Lagos Bar Beach. It was a regular occurrence in Lagos.

People will come out in their thousands to watch soldiers publicly execute criminals.

The venue of Oyenusi and gang execution

By 10am, trucks carrying Oyenusi and his executors arrived at the execution ground. Dr. Oyenusi, his gang members and one other criminal got down slowly.

People jeered and booed them, especially Oyenusi who they had really trooped out to watch die.

Oyenusi donned a dark long-sleeve shirt and had his hands tied behind him. He was sweating profusely but managed to smile all the way to the stakes.



He kept smiling, smiling and smiling but could still not hide the agony and terror written boldly on his face”.


Few minutes before he was 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 then warned others against following his life of crime. According to him “Crime does not pay in the long run”.

On the day of Dr Oyenusi’s execution, it was reported that 30,000 Nigerians showed up to see his end.

They were happily and excitedly waiting to see the man who had terrorized them get riddled by hot bullets.

Dr. Ishola Oyenusi and other criminals were fastened to their various stakes.

The soldiers lined in front of them and aimed their ever-ready guns. Some of the criminals yelled their last words of protest at the cameras.


https://mobile.mynigeria.com/NigeriaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ishola-Oyenusi-The-rise-fall-of-the-most-dangerous-armed-robber-in-Nigeria-s-history-381985

Watch how he was executed


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waHMvnuGRko

Good read

Not surprised he is from there

snatched some
luxurious Peugeot 504 GR
and
Peugeot 404 GL

My old man still has both in mint condition
in his garage

Scary video

They even had a ceremony before the shooting..

He killed the owner of the vehicle. He got N400 from stealing the car and gave it to his girlfriend.

Omo, this thing with Nigerian girls didn't start today.

Fahdiga:
Not surprised he is from there

very truth but he is just a leader out of many 5%


5% criminals is everywhere you go, no matter where, within or outside even in Dubai, around that time they tripled crippled criminals in the country

He then gave out the names of other members of the gang, which were; Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, Philip Ogbolumain, and Stephen Ndubuokwu.

NCAN crew have not arrived yet? Nigeria has been bedevilled by all manners of vices from antiquity.

I don't know what you are trying to get at but all tribes have armed robbers

Kriss216:


Omo, this thing with Nigerian girls didn't start today.

u no knw b4

What they know how to do best. Ndiofe tufia

That’s what the white peoples thought us, there is a way we handle criminals before the white people came. We’ll cast them and their families out of the community far away from other law abiding people. It’s never the way of a black man to kill but the slave masters thought how to kill and we lost value for live until this day.

Until this day without Sharia the North won’t kill a thieve. Religion is another danger to humanity

Poor English

Poor journalism

optionalY09:
That’s what the white peoples thought us, there is a way we handle criminals before the white people came. We’ll cast them and their families out of the community far away from other law abiding people. It’s never the way of a black man to kill but the slave masters thought how to kill and we lost value for live until this day.

Until this day without Sharia the North won’t kill a thieve. Religion is another danger to humanity

But it is OK for the thief to kill his victims.
People like you are the reason many young people lose their lives to criminals.
For the record, no indigenous culture condones armed robbery. The price for armed robbery then is instant death. It will come either as sacrifice to the God's to cleanse the land or slavery.
Sorry, we all know history

Dr Oyenusi

Odunlade acted the movie very well.

Hmmm