The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended Wasiu Akinwande, popularly known as “Olori Eso,” a 44-year-old man described as one of the most dangerous and wanted hired killers in Lagos in recent years.
According to a statement issued Friday by the command's spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, Akinwande was captured during a coordinated tactical operation tagged “Silence, Speed and Surprise.” The operation was executed by the Command’s Tactical Squad at his hideout in the Agbado area of Ogun State, following months of surveillance and failed arrest attempts.
Akinwande is allegedly the ringleader of multiple deadly gangs implicated in numerous violent crimes, including armed robbery, murder, cult-related killings, and kidnappings, particularly within Mushin and neighboring areas of Lagos.
The suspect’s arrest marks a major milestone in the command’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on violent criminal networks threatening public safety.
During a search of Akinwande’s hideout, police recovered a significant cache of weapons and other incriminating items. The haul included:
- Two AK-47 rifles
- One K2 assault rifle
- One Red Ryder rifle
- Three pump-action rifles
- Two locally made single-barrel pistols
- Five magazines
- Fifty-seven live cartridges
- Seventy rounds of 5.56mm ammunition
- Twenty-seven rounds of 9mm ammunition
- One expended 5.56mm round
- One dagger
- Three walkie-talkies
- Nine international passports belonging to different individuals
The suspect reportedly confessed that the weapons were used in his operations alongside his gang members.
“The arrest of Wasiu Akinwande is a major breakthrough in the war against violent crimes in Lagos State,” Hundeyin stated. “His actions have left a trail of trauma and grief in several families, and his arrest will bring a sense of relief to many communities.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to lead an expanded investigation. The goal is to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to Akinwande’s criminal network.
Four families have already come forward to identify him in connection with the killings of their loved ones.
Akinwande remains in police custody under tight security and will be prosecuted in line with the law.