Doctor Oyenusi, as he was fondly called, was not a medical doctor by profession but adopted the title because he loved it.
The evidence of him not being a doctor was revealed when he made a confession few minutes before his execution.
He confessed and revealed that his parents could not afford to help in furthering his secondary school education and that was what forced him into robbery.
Therefore, without having a secondary school education, there was no way Oyenusi could have been a medical doctor.
The dreaded Oyenusi started off his criminal career by snatching a car (whose owner died in the process of the crime) just because his girlfriend needed some money.
It was also revealed by some people that Oyenusi was a helpless romantic who would stop at nothing to make his woman happy. He reportedly sold the car at the price of N400 and gave the money to his girlfriend. It was also said that Oyenusi was hot tempered and arrogant.
During his arrest, he thundered down on a police officer who was ushering him around…
He said, “people like you don’t talk to me like that when I’m armed, I gun them down!”
Oyenusi became a prominent criminal after the Nigerian civil war ended in 1970. He robbed banks and people in both daylight and night, and he never let any of his victims live to see another day.
He fatally shot them dead.
This earned him the name “Doctor rob and kill.” At the height of his horrific reign, Oyenusi bragged that “the bullet has no power over him.” A statement which he would later regret at the point of his death.
Oyenusi was so popular and famed that he was often noted by some people as the “first celebrated armed robber in Nigeria,” and after him was Lawrence Anini, Babatunde Folorunsho (Baba oni lace), Shina Rambo, Buraimo Jimoh and others.
As the adage says, everyday belongs to the thief while a day belongs to the owner. On the 27th of March, 1971, Oyenusi was nabbed by the gallant men of the Nigerian Police Force during one of his robbery in which he and his notorious gang killed a police constable named Mr. Nwi and stole $28,000 as at then.
Cloud of shame hovered above Doctor Ishola Oyenusi as he was brought before the law and found guilty then sentenced to death by firing squad. Oyenusi confessed that he was not to die alone because he did not commit the crimes alone.
He revealed and snitched out the names of other members of the gang which were as follows: Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, Philip Ogbolumain, Ademola Adegbitan and Stephen Ndubuokwu.
Back then, public execution was the order of the day, so when Oyenusi was ushered to the popular Bar Beach in Lagos where he was to be executed, over 30,000 Nigerians were happy and excited and drove out in their numbers waiting to see the man who had terrorised them get riddled with bullets.
It was said that some civil servants even brought a coffin to the execution ground to mock the once mighty robber kingpin who was now nothing but a scapegoat whose breath would be exhausted by the guns that were to be shot at him.
Trucks carrying Oyenusi and his executors arrived at the execution ground around 10am. Doctor Oyenusi, his gang members and one other criminal got down slowly. People jeered and booed them, especially Oyenusi who they had really trooped out to watch die.
Oyenusi rocked a dark long-sleeve shirt and had his hands tied behind him. He was sweating profusely but managed to smile all the way to the stakes. He kept smiling, smiling and smiling but could still not hide the agony and terror written boldly on his face.
Few mins before he was shot, Oyenusi told journalists that he would not have ventured into armed robbery if his parents were capable of sending him to secondary school. He said “I am dying for the offense I have committed.” Oyenusi and other criminals were fastened to the stakes.
Some of the criminals yelled their last words of protest at the cameras. Then a loud voice let out the word “fire”! Oyenusi and other criminals’ body were sprayed with bullets. That was the bitter end of Ishola Oyenusi who lived by the bullets and died by the bullets.
