It was a beautiful Saturday morning, I
was garbed in a pair of jeans, on a pair
of Timberland boots, a military sweat
shirt, and my JackMoody denim jacket.
I had been attacked by men of the
underworld the night before whilst we
were on production, at the office. So I
slung my black Ted Baker satchel
across my right shoulder, armed with
my camera, my midget, and some other
small gizmos.
I was more determined, to embark on this
adventure, than ever before…
I was headed for the ancient city of
brown roofs, Ibadan where a one-time
Nigeria’s most notorious and dreaded
bandit that ever lived SHINA RAMBO
mounted the pulpit to preach!!! What an
irony you would say.
Now Mathew Oluwanifemi, Shina Rambo
was a name that sent shivers down the
spine of people who lived in the South
West of Nigeria and even outside Nigeria,
like Benin Republic and neighborhood, in
the 1990’s. He was a hardened criminal, a
terror and killer, one whom men of the
security agencies will never forget in a
haste!
A man mountain, towering about 6ft
5inch, well built, dark skinned and
sweltering eyes, he carried out his
operations, like a movie, in the broad day
light, with sophisticated weapons, and
bullet belts and explosives strapped
roundabout him! He specialized in
robbing exotic cars on highways and
banks. Nothing could stop him, not even
security operatives, he was totally
invincible. He was Shina Rambo!
He was born in the year 1958 to a
military man who was a bad egg in the
service. His father was from Abeokuta in
Ogun state, but his mother was a native
of Sabongida–Ora in Edo state. His father
had over 18 wives, as was the norm for
soldiers to impregnate virtually every
woman they met where they were posted
to.
His father used his military influence to
rob innocent citizens, and always brought
huge amount of money home. This used
to entice little Shina. He recalls, “I
remembered when I was about 7 years
old, my father came home with a lot of
money, foreign currencies, with blood on
it, and they were using something like a
woman’s scarf to wipe it, then I asked
him, is this an animal’s blood, or human
blood? But he wouldn’t answer me, they
were just drinking, smoking, and merry
making.”
Shina was already indoctrinated into the
underworld by his father at a tender age
of 7 without him knowing it, as he would
sit in front of his son, to dismantle and
assemble all sorts of weapons and then
polishing them in preparation for an
operation. This went on for so long till
one day, little Shina, entered into his
father’s room while he had stepped into
the toilet, and saw a dismembered gun on
the floor. He sat down in front of it, and
bit by bit, he had assembled it effortlessly
in no time at all. His father came out of
the toilet, and saw his son, with a loaded
gun in his hands. Shina flashed back and
said, “That day my father was so
disappointed, that he wanted to kill me,
he grabbed the gun from my hand and
shot straight at me, but I miraculously
escaped out of the room.
Then he waited for me to be less alert at
night he came to my room with a
machete and tried to behead me, but once
again, I escaped, but the machete caught
my left leg. (rolled up his trouser to show
us the large scar, that made everyone
sighed in pity). It cut me so deep I
thought I was never going to walk again.
That day I knew I had graduated, all that
was left was to pull the trigger, and I was
so eager.
Shina Rambo became so notorious in no
time, and was hell bent on succeeding in
his career as an armed robber, that he
went through any length to secure
spiritual powers for fortification. To the
extent of pounding over 27 live new born
babies in the mortar with a pestle, cutting
off about 100 human tongues and cooking
them to eat, visiting the spiritual river
called river of life in Ogoja, Cross Rivers
State, living in an Iroko tree for days, and
sleeping in the cemetery.
He was given a spiritual wife who always
followed him for any operation, she
dressed like an Alhaja, people thought
she was human, but she was a spirit, that
was why they never saw her face. He
said she was his personal driver, that she
could drive from Nigeria to Cotonou, in
the speed of light. Hear him. ”I was
involved in so many rituals, that I can’t
start naming them now, I was so
powerful, I went underground, inside
trees that looked like a city, a lot of
beautiful houses inside the tree, I had my
own too, I went into a river called River
of life in Ogoja, where a lot of politicians
and wealthy men used to come, I had
several personalities, I could change my
form whenever I wanted to, that’s why
the police were busy killing innocent
people, and thought they were killing
Shina Rambo.
The 9 herbalists that gave me that power,
I became stronger than them, one day I
went to their shrines, and killed all of
them, so that they don’t reveal my
secrets. I had too many powers; my
spiritual wife could drive any car in this
world or out of it, no police vehicle, or
anyone for that matter, could ever chase
and catch me during an operation. She
was out of this world, and when she had
completed her operation, they took her
away from me. I could give anything to
get powers, and the elders knew, so they
also gave me anything I wanted.
I once beheaded hundred men, and gave
them the heads fresh, they were so happy
with me that they made me invincible. No
matter the kind of bullet you shot at me,
it was just like pure water on my body. I
could give anything to get power, but of
all the things I did to get power, the one
that still breaks my heart the most, is
sleeping with my mother. My father is
dead now, but my mother is still alive,
and she lives with me she is 85 years old,
whenever I set my eyes on her, I just
start crying. I can`t bear it…
Shina Rambo was a raging terror, he was
infallibly dangerous, the police dreaded
him, both in Nigeria, and Benin Republic,
his place of interest for business. He
would go to police stations, in broad
daylight and kill every policeman there,
drive to check points and open fire on
every policeman on duty, he didn’t like
the police at all, and was never afraid of
them, he operated in broad day light
armed to the teeth looking like Johny
Rambo, in the popular Sylvester Stalone
movie, “First Blood”.
He once robbed 40 exotic cars in one day
and drove all of them in a convoy, from
Lagos to Cotonou, unstopped. He was
powerful; he was wealthy, and
impenetrable. He was a tin god,
apparently belched from the very arroyo
hell, we all dreaded him. He had a wife
and three children, but he lost all of them
in one day during a bloody police raid
whilst he was away on operation. His
wife was his stabilizing factor his life
changed afterwards. He says “my wife
was everything to me, I was forbidden by
the elders to sleep with any other woman
apart from her, I could gather about 50
women around me in a hotel, and they
will just be playing with me, we would
smoke, drink, and sniff cocaine, I will
give them money but I will never sleep
with them. I will go back home to my
wife and sleep with her. That was why
the police never caught me.
She knew my job, she knew what I was, I
never left them alone at night, I operated
in the day time and go back home to my
family at night. I had everything, I was
very wealthy, I once spent 50 million
naira in a day. I did it a lot, there was
one day that we were coming from an
operation and it seemed as if my powers
were going to fail me, the police and the
army were almost closing in on us, so we
had to drive into a crowd and threw
millions of naira in the air, there was
commotion, everybody was busy picking
naira notes even the police, until we
escaped. I was too rich, but anything the
devil gives you never lasts, he will collect
more from you, it’s only the devil that
will give you Fila, (cap) and ask for Iro
and Buba.(wrapper and top). I lost
everything, all the money, my family; I
was so powerful the police couldn’t catch
me but I lost it all.
I had to surrender myself to the police,
and I was arrested and jailed for 11 years.
When I was serving my jail term in Agodi
prisons, Ibadan, Prophet T.O Obadare
came visiting, and having been
encouraged several times by the Christian
brothers and sisters in the prison to give
my life to Christ, he prayed for me and
converted me, and changed my name to
Oluwanifemi, and it was so miraculous,
the next day I woke up and started
speaking in tongues. It was during the
time of President Olusegun Obasanjo, that
we were granted freedom.
At this point, I was glued to my seat, the
revival where Shina Rambo gave this
exclusive confession was on an open
ground revival in the ancient city of
Ibadan, right in front of me, on stage, was
Evangelist Mathew Oluwanifemi, the once
feared Shina Rambo, clad in a loose
fitting shirt, black pants and a pair of
leather sandals with a black Holy Bible in
his hands, gigantic dark skinned and bald
headed, still had those fiery looks, and
stealth movement.
I was more transfixed than focused, God
is indeed awesome, he picked the offering
basket raised it to the congregation
prayed and asked who had anything to
give to God, at first I was reluctant, my
mind was occupied and out of an innate
compulsion, sheer curiosity I stood up,
dipped my hand in my pocket walked
towards him briskly and calculatedly
brought out my offering, dropped it into
the basket, and looked deep into his eyes,
I had too many things to ask him, there
were too many questions unanswered. He
looked back at me, and spoke in Yoruba,
saying God bless you my brother; we
know your type when we see them.
The congregation broke into a mild giggle,
as all eyes were on me as I went back to
my seat, with a lot of things on my mind,
and the red light on my midget still
blinking, in the breast pocket of my
jacket…..
[To be continued]
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