Three suspected armed robbers have confessed how they dispossessed an Osun traditional ruler of valuables estimated at N50m during one of their operations on Ife-Ibadan expressway.
The suspects identified as m Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31; Uchena Steven, 26; and Ejike Ani, 31, were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit following actionable intelligence.
The suspects were said to have carried out the operations on August 23 and September 30, 2026, during which about five vehicles were reportedly snatched.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday during a briefing at the command headquarters in Ikeja.
He added that one of the stolen vehicles, a Toyota van with registration number BDJ 180 AJ, Oyo State, had been recovered.
He said, “Operatives of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on actionable intelligence, traced and arrested three suspected armed robbers at two different locations in Lagos.
“The suspects are Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31; Uchena Steven, 26; and Ejike Ani, 31.
“Preliminary investigation linked the suspects to alleged robbery operations which occurred on 23/08/2026 and 30/09/2026 along the Ife Expressway in Osun State, during which about five vehicles were reportedly snatched, and valuables estimated at approximately N50m were allegedly carted away.
“One Toyota van with registration number BDJ 180 AJ, Oyo State, was recovered.”
According to the CP, the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting the police in efforts to recover the other stolen vehicles, arrest other members of the gang and recover the weapons allegedly used in the operations.
One of the suspects, Ani, explained during questioning how the gang allegedly robbed the monarch.
He said a member of the gang, identified as Obina, had taken them to the Ife Road area to snatch vehicles.
Ejike said, “One of our colleagues, Obina, takes us to Ife Road. He said we should go there to snatch vehicles.
“We reached there. We didn’t use a gun, but we bought a cellotape and cut a stick. We used the cello tape and the stick.”
According to him, the gang later encountered the monarch after allegedly snatching a vehicle.
He said, “When we collected the motorbike, we saw the king on the road. We saw the king’s vehicle parked on the road and we stopped.
“So Obinna collected the king’s bag and put it inside the vehicle. When we reached Lagos, he dropped us off.
“We didn’t even know the king’s bag was inside the vehicle. The police, after arresting us, said they found the king’s money inside the vehicle.”
Ejike said the police were already tracking Obina, adding that he did not know his whereabouts.
He, however, admitted that another member of the gang, identified as Izuna, had a locally made explosive device, which was allegedly used during the operation.
“Izuna bought a banger and even the police discovered one of the bangers inside the car,” he said.
Asked why he returned to robbery despite having previously served a prison term, Ejike said he wanted to raise money to start a business.
“I don’t want to try this thing for my life again. I do this because I’m looking for just a little thing to start a business,” he said.
He added that he was previously involved in selling machine spare parts.
Giving an overview of the command’s operational successes within the period under review, Tijani said 80 suspects were arrested or neutralised, while several exhibits were recovered.
The CP said the recoveries included six vehicles, four Beretta pistols, eight locally made pistols and four live 9mm rounds of ammunition.
Other exhibits recovered were seven vehicle number plates, six mobile phones, vandalised iron materials and electrical wires, six battle axes, four cutlasses, one toy gun and five sacks of illicit drugs.
The police said the investigation into the robbery case was ongoing, with efforts being made to apprehend other members of the gang and recover more stolen property.