Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini, Nigeria’s most notorious armed
robber, was born sometime in 1960. He terrorised the old Bendel
State, especially its capital, Benin City in the 1980s. By 1986, his
robbery exploits had reached such a terrible level that it became a
national issue. He operated along with his lieutenant, Monday
Osunbor, and others. However, one striking feature in the Anini
reign of terror was police complicity. It was soon discovered that
the Anini gang had insiders within the Police hierarchy. George
Iyamu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was their arrowhead.
Anini, dreadfully called ‘The Law’ or ‘Ovbigbo’, was born in a
village about 20 miles from Benin City. He migrated to Benin at an
early age, learned to drive and became a skilled taxi driver within a
few years. 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 took to criminal acts in the city
and soon became a driver and transporter for gangs, criminal
godfathers and thieves. Soon after, he decided to create his own
gang. 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.
The complicity of the police is believed to have enhanced Anini’s
reign of terror in 1986. Early that year, two members of his gang
were prosecuted over 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 bank
robbery linked to Anini was reported in which a police officer 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.
In an operation in August of 1986, the Anini team struck at First
Bank, Sabongida-Ora, where they carted away N2, 000. But
although the amount stolen was seen as chicken feed, they left
the scene with a trail of blood. Many persons were killed.
On September 6, same year, the Anini gang snatched a Peugeot
504 car from Albert Otoe, the driver of an Assistant Inspector
General of Police, Christopher Omeben. In snatching the car, they
killed the driver and went to hide his corpse somewhere. It was
not until three months later that the skeleton of the driver was
spotted 16 kilometers away from Benin, along the Benin-Agbor
highway. A day after this attack, Anini, operating in a Passat car
believed to have been stolen, also effected the snatching of
another Peugeot 504 car near the former FEDECO office, in Benin.
Two days after, Anini’s men killed two policemen in Orhiowon
Local Government of the state. Still in that month, three different
robbery attacks, all pointing to Anini’s involvement, took place.
They include the murder of Frank Unoarumi, a former employee
of the Nigerian Observer newspapers; the killing of Mrs. Remi
Sobanjo, a chartered accountant, and the stealing of the Mercedes
Benz car in Benin, of the Ughelli monarch, the Ovie.
Before September 1986 drew to a close, Anini, now an elusive
dread, struck at a gas station along Wire Road, Benin, where he
stole a substantial part of the day’s sales. He shot the Station’s
attendant and gleefully started spraying his booty along the road
for people to pick.
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,
followed by a hail of bullets. The police boss survived the attack
with serious injuries. Earlier that day also, the Anini men had
gunned down a police man within the city
Also, on October 21 of same year, the Anini gang terminated the
life of a Benin-based medical doctor, A.O Emojeve. They gunned
him down along Textile Mill Road, in Benin. Not done, Anini and
his gang went and robbed the Agbor branch of the African
Continental Bank and carted away about N46, 000. A day after the
operation, Anini, The Law, turned to a ‘Father Christmas’ as he
threw wads of naira on the ground for market men and women
to pick at a village near Benin.
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 spear-headed a four-month reign of terror between
August and December 1986. He also reportedly wrote numerous
letters to media houses using political tones of Robin Hood to
describe his criminal acts.

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; combed 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. Some of the locals in the area even began to tell stories of their invincibility and for a while, it felt like they were never going to be caught. However, at the conclusion of a meeting of the Armed Forces Ruling Council in October 1986, General Babangida turned to the Inspector- General of Police, Etim Inyang, and asked, ‘My friend, where is Anini?’. At about this time, Nigerian newspapers and journals were also publishing various reports and editorials on the ‘Anini Challenge’, the ‘Anini Saga’, the ‘Anini Factor’, ‘Lawrence Anini – the Man, the Myth’, ‘Anini, Jack the Ripper’, and ‘Lawrence Anini: A Robin Hood in Bendel’. The Guardian asked, emphatically, in one of its reports: ‘Will they ever find Anini, “The Law”?’ His arrest 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 ex­ cruciating 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.” He was from there taken to the police command headquarters where the state’s Police Commissioner, Parry Osayande, was waiting. While in the police net, Anini who had poor command of English and could only communicate in pidgin, made a whole lot of revelations. He disclosed, for instance that Osunbor, who had been arrested earlier, was his deputy, saying that Osunbor actually shot and wounded the former police boss of the state, Akagbosu Anini was shot in the leg, transferred to a military hospital, and had one of his legs amputated. 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 terrorized a whole state and who was supposed to be fearless suddenly became remorseful, making confessions. This was against public expectation of a daredevil hoodlum who would remain defiant to the very end. Shortly after the arrest of Anini and co, the dare-devil robbers began to revealthe 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 logistical supports such as arms, to carry out robbery operations. He further revealed that Iyamu, after each operation, would join them in sharing the loot. It was further exposed how Iyamu planned to kill Christopher Omeben, an Assistant Inspector-Gener al of Police in charge of Intelligence and Investigation. But Iyamu was later to be disappointed as the assailants dispatched to eliminate Omeben were only able to kill his driver, Otue, a sergeant. Iyamu, whom the robbers fondly referred to as ‘Baba’, reportedly had choice buildings in Benin City; proof of how he invested the loot he obtained from men of the underworld. Due to the 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

The guy na baddoo that year! Upon the all, wetin comot?

Still some alakori no dey hear word...dey use am do mentor.


Seriously, if I have my way, I'd make a great flick outta this.

ames Omo-Agege in the High Court of Justice in Benin
City. Of the 10 police officers Anini implicated, five were convicted.
The robbery suspects, including Iyamu, were sentenced to death.
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.

Anini d kingkong... We all heard abt him in history book... God i want to be successful and famous but not like Anini

Bad Man

What made finish the epistle was to know how he meet his waterloo

Now that is the chronical of the reign of Anini

At least he beta pass dis our politicians wey dey steal us dry now

Someone took down the Anini video on Youtube, would really appreciate a link to the video. Didn't finish watching it due to connection problems.

though he was ruthless he is still ma broda we came from the LGA nd we are proud of him

though he was ruthless he is still ma broda we came from the same LGA

Kayode Uanreroro, I met this man dis year.I'm serving in his hometown and I live in his house

Was thinking of how the name anini will fit into a song me and my friend been writing.
OP thanks for the bio.. I can now make something out

osunbor was the main bad man. as i recall it, anini was shedding tears right before the firing squad with osunbor taunting him

This guy and Tinubu must be class mates in stealing

He killed too many people.
We should be mindful how we tend to celebrate the memories of men like him.

R

He got what he deserved. Bad guy.

Morale of the story: Don't mix business with pleasure. Always be alert..... He got what was coming to him but i thought he had a better arrest story than this wack one of him opening the door for police to enter...

igwedaboss:
Was thinking of how the name anini will fit into a song me and my friend been writing.
OP thanks for the bio.. I can now make something out

welcome

Buhari dem rolemodel
Anini dem icon

Say no to "change"
Say yes to transformation

romooluwa:
Morale of the story: Don't mix business with pleasure. Always be alert..... He got what was coming to him but i thought he had a better arrest story than this wack one of him opening the door for police to enter...

There is something called karma, I guess he had it coming so whichever way it happened, he would have still gone down.

MOD should push this information to frontpage for others to see this great bio of Anini and Co.

life and times of aninin.....

Person go bank with guns go thief #2,000. Chio!!! Nigeria don jaga jaga finish.

anini
Ade bendel

detiosa:
though he was ruthless he is still ma broda we came from the LGA nd we are proud of him

shame on you

We were told his story like folk tales and it was always dreadful...... May he find peace with his God

..

They then pumped more bullets into his shot leg and almost severed the ankle from his entire leg. Already, anguished by the ex­ cruciating 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.”

That Moment when a Policeman becomes your brather

Bwahahahahaah

Since his death no rubbery gang has been near popular like Anini gang