•Confess To N50m Ife Expressway Robberies
Three suspected armed robbers arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, have confessed to terrorising motorists along the Ife Expressway in Osun State, where valuables including that of a monarch estimated at N50m were allegedly stolen and about five vehicles snatched.
The suspects – Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31; Uchena Steven, 26; and Ejike Ani, 31 were apprehended by command Anti-Kidnapping unit following actionable intelligence.
The suspects allegedly 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.
Tijani said 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.”
According to the CP, the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting the police to recover other stolen vehicles, arrest fleeing gang members and recover weapons allegedly used in the operations.
Narrating how they robbed the monarch, one of the suspects, Ani, said a gang member identified as Obina led them to Ife Road to snatch vehicles.
He 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.”
Ani said the gang encountered the monarch after snatching a vehicle.
“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,” he said.
He added that the police were already tracking Obina, whose whereabouts he claimed he did not know.
Ani, however, admitted that another gang member, 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 after previously serving a prison term, Ani 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 was previously involved in selling machine spare parts.
