ANINI THE LAW: A robber’s robber -Story

By Jide Ajani

He was born Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini; but he re-christened himself
ANINI THE LAW. He sent fears and chills down the spine of many a
Nigerian – particularly residents of Benin city in the old Bendel
State!

To underscore his notoriety, especially the embarrassing registration
of his presence in the consciousness of Nigerians right up to the
Presidency, his dangerous and awe-inspiring exploits compelled then
military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, to ask his Inspector
General of Police, IGP, Etim Inyang, the very famous question:

"My friend, where is Anini"?

Anini The Law, as he was known then, grew larger than life such that
the myth woven around him was so deifying that people actually thought
he was a god or some type of spirit being that he was imbued with the
qualities of omnipotence, omnipresent and omniscience.

He operated a team of just about four to five members. For a skilled
taxi driver who was born in a village just some 20kms from the heart
of Benin city, Anini became a Capone in his own right at the motor
parks; this, after serving time with some leaders of gangs in the
underworld.
He was said to have struck a deal with some policemen to help suppress
evidence in a case involving some members of his gang but the deal did
not yield the desired result.
This, reports had it, led to his anger against the police for
betraying him. It is for this reason that Oyakhire and some other very
senior police officers had to be drafted to Benin for his case. So
notorious was Anini that even WIKIPEDIA could not but acknowledge that
he once existed.

The Free Encyclopedia wrote of him thus:

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

"Anini was born in a village about 20 miles from Benin City in present
day Edo State. He migrated to Benin at an early age, learned to drive
and became a skilled taxi driver in a few years. He became known in
Benin motor parks as a man who could control the varied competing
interest 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 and 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 bribe induced
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.

On August, 1986, a fatal bank robbery linked to Anini was reported in
which a police officer and a child 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 9 police
officers. He wrote numerous letters to media houses using political
tones of Robin Hood-like words to describe his criminal acts.

On December 3, 1986, he was caught at a house off a main street of
Benin City in the company of a girl friend. Anini was shot in the leg,
transferred to a military hospital, and had one of his legs amputated.
The country's military leader, Babangida, demanded a speedy trial.
Anini was convicted of most of his charges and was executed on March
29, 1987; also his friend Monday Osunbor was sentenced to death.

Source:www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/anini-the-law-a-robbers-robber/