Crimes

Lagos police arrest dismissed Corporal impersonating as Inspector

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a dismissed Corporal allegedly impersonating as a serving Inspector of Police in the state.

The command’s spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who made this known on Saturday, June 17, said the dismissed Corporal was arrested on June 4 at Gaskiya College Road Junction, Ijora-Badiya.

Hundeyin said the 35-year-old Corporal, a resident of Sango Ota in Ogun State, was arrested while riding an unregistered motorcycle.

He added that a police stop-and-search team accosted the suspect and interrogated him to establish why he was riding a motorcycle on a major road in spite of the order banning such activity.

The police spokesperson said: “The suspect identified himself as a Police Inspector and brought out a police identification card bearing his name and photograph and depicting him as an Inspector of Police.

“During investigation, police got a court order to search his home at Sango Ota and conducted the search on June 8.

“In the process, a pair of uniform with Sergeant rank, one operational jacket with inscription `SARS LAS SCORPION’, one pair of camouflage with Inspector rank, and one jacket with `Special Forces’ inscription were recovered.

“Also recovered from the suspect was one police belt, a pair of police boots, one camouflage tee-shirt, one police beret with crest, and one pair of unsewn blue uniform.”

Hundeyin said preliminary investigation showed that the suspect had been using the uniforms since his dismissal from the police in 2017.

He added that the investigation also showed that the dismissed Corporal had been changing his rank anytime the police promoted his serving recruited mates.

The police spokesman added that the suspect would be arraigned upon completion of the investigation.

The Star