A man identified as Mr. Nathaniel Benjamin, has been arrested for disguising as a police officer to avoid paying bus fares in Lagos State.
The X-squad team of the state police command arrested the 33-year-old suspect at Alakija area of Ojo following tip-off from members of the public.
Benjamin, who hails from Kogi State was paraded on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 and is currently in detention at the command headquarters in Ikeja.
He told journalists that the police uniform he wore to impersonate the police belonged to his late brother who was a police officer.
Benjamin said: “When I was working as a private driver at the Festac Town area of Lagos, my monthly salary was N30, 000 but the money was not enough to cater for my needs, so I decided to wear my late brother’s uniform and dress as a police officer so that when I board a commercial vehicle, the driver will not collect fare from me.
“All efforts to get a well-paying job have been futile. Because of my passion for the police job, I applied for the recent recruitment exercise and I have been praying to God to help me get enlisted into the force.
“My desperation to save money to carter for my family needs prompted me to wear the police uniform.
“I love police work but all my efforts to become a policeman met a brick wall.
“I have been wearing it for about three months. I don’t know wearing the uniform is an offence. It was my love for the force that made me to wear it.
“I was neither using the police uniform to defraud people nor to escort heavy duty vehicles. I was using it to get free transportation.
“My late brother had not spent one year in the police when he died in an auto accident last year; and after his burial, I decided to use his uniform in my custody,” Benjamin added.
Confirming the report, the state police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos said the suspect would be charged to court soon.
