LAGOS, NIGERIA — In a chilling yet hopeful narrative of crime and redemption, Temitope Kolawole, a man who once led a notorious gang that terrorized religious institutions across West Africa, has come forward to reveal the mechanics of his 30-year criminal career and his ultimate path to salvation.
Kolawole, an Ekiti State indigene now living in Ikorodu, recently shared the harrowing details of a life spent in the shadows—a journey that saw him imprisoned 12 separate times, spanning a total of 25 years and seven months behind bars.
Targeting the “Sophisticated”
During an extensive interview, Kolawole disclosed that the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), led by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, was his primary target. His reasoning was strictly pragmatic rather than personal.
”They usually had what we needed,” Kolawole admitted. “High-end musical instruments, sophisticated electronics, and significant cash. It wasn’t about a grudge; it was about the inventory.”
In a bizarre twist of logic, the former gang leader revealed that he would pray fervently before every heist. While his accomplices relied on charms and “juju,” Kolawole—who had seen traditional medicine fail his parents during his troubled childhood—placed his faith in prayer to ensure his “operations” were successful.
In contrast, Kolawole noted that “White Garment” churches (Cherubim and Seraphim or Celestial Church of Christ) were avoided not because of spiritual fear, but because of their constant human presence. “People are almost always there for prayer sessions, making it difficult to operate unnoticed,” he explained.
The Failure of the “Correctional” System
Kolawole’s story serves as a scathing critique of the Nigerian prison system. Arrested for the first time in 1986 at age 17, he entered the Borstal system as a petty burglar. He exited as a hardened armed robber.
”Prison is not a correctional center; it is a training ground for crime,” Kolawole stated. He described a tiered system where wealthy inmates enjoyed private rooms and bodyguards, while the poor were crammed 15 to a cell, often dying from neglect.
He admitted that his “good behavior” inside was a facade required for survival. On one occasion, he returned to crime the very same day he was released.
The Turning Point: “One Day”
The cycle of recidivism finally broke on September 6, 2021. After being caught stealing tools from a church in Moba and serving time in Kaba Prison, Kolawole was preparing for another heist when he found a discarded tract titled “One Day.”
”As I read it, I felt the author was watching my life,” he recalled. The encounter led to a breakdown of tears, a phone call to a minister, and a total renunciation of his past.
Life After the Cell
Today, the man who once robbed over 1,000 churches is an independent evangelist. However, the transition has been fraught with hardship. Having lost his wife while incarcerated and suffering from a permanent hand injury sustained in 2015, he struggles to provide for his nine-year-old son.
”Nobody wants to hire an ex-convict,” he said. He currently survives by fetching water and washing clothes—a humble existence compared to his days as a gang leader.
Of the 43 men Kolawole once called his “colleagues,” he is the only one left alive. The rest fell to police bullets, prison disease, or mob justice. “It is purely the grace of God,” he says. “If I were still stealing, I wouldn’t be standing here telling the world my story.”
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