IKEJA, Nigeria – A dismissed corporal who had been impersonating a serving Inspector of Police was arrested by the Lagos State police on June 4, 2023.
The arrest was confirmed by the police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, during a press conference in Ikeja on Saturday, June 17, 2023.
The 35-year-old suspect, a resident of Sango Ota in Ogun State, was apprehended at the Gaskiya College Road Junction, Ijora-Badija while riding an unregistered motorcycle.
He was stopped and interrogated by a police stop-and-search team due to an existing order banning the use of motorcycles on major roads.
The suspect introduced himself as a Police Inspector, presenting an identification card with his name and photo, and a depicted rank of Inspector of Police.
After obtaining a court order, the police conducted a search at the suspect’s home in Sango Ota on June 8, 2023.
The search led to the recovery of multiple police-related items including two uniforms with different ranks, an operational jacket with the inscription “SARS LAS SCORPION”, a camouflage jacket with the rank of Inspector, a jacket with “Special Forces” inscription, a police belt, a pair of police boots, a police beret with crest, a camouflage tee-shirt, and an unsewn pair of blue uniform.
According to Hundeyin, the preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had been using these police uniforms since his dismissal in 2017.
The suspect was found to frequently change his rank, in line with the promotions of his former colleagues.
The police spokesman stated that the suspect would be arraigned upon the completion of the investigation.
