It has been reported that Osayi Anini, son of a well known famous notorious armed robber, Lawrence Anini whose father threatened Nigeria for a very long time revealed himself to the world.

Nairaland

Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini was popularly known as “the Law” was a Nigerian scoundrel who threatened Benin City during the 1980s.

Lawrence was caught and executed alongside his gang members Monday Osunbor, Friday Ofege, and a cop Iyamu who was providing them weapons and giving them vital information.

Gossip additionally has it that he had otherworldly powers that empower him to vanish and return to any place he wanted to be, Lawrence was that brilliant.

Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini (c. 1960 – March 29, 1987) was a Nigerian bandit who terrorised Benin City in the 1980s along with his sidekick Monday Osunbor. He was captured and executed for his crimes.

Anini was born in a village about 20 miles from Benin City in present-day Edo State. Anini, dreadfully called ‘The Law’ or ‘Ovbigbo’. He migrated to Benin at an early age, learned to drive and became a skilled taxi driver. 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 dived into the criminal business in the city and soon became a driver and transporter for gangs, criminal godfathers and thieves. Later on, he decided to create his own gang which included, Monday Osunbor, Friday Ofege, Henry Ekponwan, Eweka and Alhaji zed or Zegezege who was never captured.

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 triggered Anini’s reign of terror in 1986. In early 1986, two members of his gang were tried and prosecuted against 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 fatal bank robbery linked to Anini was reported in which a police officer (Nathaniel Egharevba)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.

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.

It was believed that his girlfriend had a hand in his arrest. she probably collaborated with the police and took Anini’s charms away before the police arrived. same as the case of Samson in the Bible. 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 excruciating 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.”

Nigerians react on it, the majority expressed their thoughts saying the son should be watched since he was birthed by a notorious armed robber.