Suspects Admit to Stealing N50m from Osun Monarch

Three suspected robbers have admitted to frightening drivers along the Ife Expressway in Osun State. They reportedly stole valuables worth N50m from a traditional ruler.

The Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested the suspects. They are Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31; Uchena Steven, 26; and Ejike Ani, 31. The arrests followed solid intelligence.

The police said the suspects carried out the robberies on August 23 and September 30, 2026. They reportedly stole around five vehicles during these operations.

Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Tijani, shared this information on Wednesday during a briefing in Ikeja. He noted that one of the stolen vehicles, a Toyota van with registration number BDJ 180 AJ from Oyo State, had been recovered.

Tijani 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 this time, 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 Commissioner, the suspects have confessed and are helping the police find the other stolen vehicles. They are also trying to arrest more gang members and recover the weapons used in the robberies.

One of the suspects, Ani, shared how they robbed the monarch. He said a gang member named Obina led them to the Ife Road area to steal vehicles.

Ejike explained, "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 cellotape and the stick."

The gang encountered the monarch after stealing a vehicle. Ejike 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 mentioned that the police are tracking Obina. He said he does not know where Obina is hiding. He also revealed that another gang member, Izuna, had a locally made explosive device that was used in their crimes.

"Izuna bought a banger and even the police discovered one of the bangers inside the car," he said.

When asked why he returned to robbery after serving time in prison, Ejike said he wanted to raise money to start a business.

"I don’t want to try this thing for my life again. I don’t do this because I’m looking for just a little thing to start a business," he said. He added that he used to sell machine spare parts.

The Commissioner provided an overview of the command’s achievements in recent times. Tijani said 80 suspects were arrested or neutralised, and several items were recovered.

He mentioned that the recoveries included six vehicles, four Beretta pistols, eight locally made pistols and four live 9mm rounds of ammunition. Other recovered items were seven vehicle number plates, six mobile phones, vandalised iron materials, electrical wires, six battle axes, four cutlasses, one toy gun and five sacks of illicit drugs.

The police said the investigation into the robbery is still ongoing. They are working hard to catch other gang members and recover more stolen items.