Isiaka Busari, known predominantly as Mighty Joe, was a Nigerian bandit. He was the

sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

to Ishola Oyenusi. After the death of Oyenusi, Mighty Joe took charge of the gang, mostly terrorizing the south western part of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. He was executed by firing squad in 1973.

Early life

Mighty Joe was born in 1936 in Lagos,

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

into a family of seven. Due to financial constraints, Mighty Joe became a dropout from

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

. He joined Dr. Ishola in armed robbery operations. After the death of Dr. Ishola, he took charge of the gang; recruiting ex-military to aid him carry out his operations. Before he was shot, he converted to Islam.

Death

Mighty Joe was arrested on 1973 while trying to snatch ₦10 from a bar attendant called Michael Osayunana. After trials, on 6 June 1973, a convoy drove him from Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison to Lagos Bar Beach where he was executed.

Controversy

His death raised a controversy as some people thought that his execution was a set-up aided by '' Daily Times'' because of fuss between Mighty Joe and the owners of the newspaper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joe, Mighty People executed for murder Bank robbers Nigerian gangsters Nigerian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Nigeria 20th-century executions by Nigeria Executed Nigerian people 20th-century murderers