Crimes in Nigeria
In-depth stories and reports on major crimes, notorious criminals, financial fraud, organized crime networks, and justice in Nigeria.
Babatunde Folorunsho (“Baba Oni Lace”) – Dreaded Lagos robber who styled himself like a socialite.
In the early 1970s, Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous and vibrant city, found itself at the centre of an alarming surge in violent crime. Among...
Highway Robbery in Northern Nigeria – Bandits or Armed Robbers?
ThThe Kaduna–Abuja expressway today ranks among Nigeria’s most feared roads. Travellers on this strategic corridor often adopt defensive rituals, travelling in convoys, concealing valuables,...
The Future of Armed Robbery in Nigeria – Can It Be Eradicated?
The name Ishola Oyenusi is inseparable from Nigeria’s early history of armed robbery. Active in Lagos during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Oyenusi...
Eze Ego – Armed robber from Eastern Nigeria known for bank raids.
Victor Nnamdi Okafor, remembered across Nigeria as Eze Ego, the “King of Money”, lived a life that straddled the line between fact and folklore. Born on...
Lessons from History: Why Armed Robbery Still Persists
In the early 1970s, Nigeria witnessed the dramatic downfall of one of its most notorious criminals, Ishola Oyenusi. Widely reported in the press and...
Prisons, Highway Robbery, and the Struggle Against Crime in Nigeria
Highway robbery has long posed one of the most persistent security challenges in Nigeria. From the pre-colonial era of banditry along trade routes to...
The Fall of the Notorious Bakassi Boys and the Street Vigilantes
Origins in AbaIn the late 1990s, insecurity overwhelmed the Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia State. Armed robbers repeatedly targeted traders, disrupting one of...
Okwudili “Derico” Nwaeze – His Reign and Brutal End in 2001
In the early 2000s, Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria faced one of its most violent periods of insecurity. The bustling trading city of Onitsha,...
The Police vs. Anini: How DSP Parry Osayande Brought Him Down
In Nigerian crime history, few names evoke as much dread as Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini, the armed robber whose reign of terror in 1986 embarrassed...
Weapons of Choice: How AK-47 Changed Nigeria’s Robbery Landscape
The AK-47, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947, is renowned for its durability and ease of use. Its widespread availability has had profound implications...