Shina Rambo is a former bandit who
terrorised South-West Nigeria in the 1990s.
After serving jail-time for his crimes, he was
converted by an evangelist and became a
Christian evangelical pastor. Shina Rambo
now Mathew Oluwanifemi 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 1990s.
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 6 ft 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 robbing 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 (he 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
and 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
sometimes spent 50 million naira in a day, I
did that 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.
While 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.
