•Nigerian soldiers
A 27-year-old fake soldier has been arrested by military police for defrauding several unsuspecting Lagos residents of their money and goods.
The suspect, Kolawole Yusuf, was handed over to the police by the Provost Unit of the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, yesterday, where many of his victims identified him, reports The Nation.
According to information, he was arrested on February 18, by Policemen Ladipo Station who rescued him from a mob at Bakassi Line.
The suspect, dressed in full Nigerian Air Force (NAF) special forces uniform, had claimed he was an Airman attached to the O55 NAF Base in Victoria Island, prompting the police to contact the military to take him for discipline.
NAFRC’s Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Commander Patricia Ochei, who briefed reporters on the incident, said the center was notified by traders at Ladipo about a personnel who usually obtained money and items through fake alert, adding that he usually harassed civilians.
She said military police operatives were detailed to investigate and when they took the suspect from police custody, they discovered he was an impostor using the uniform and other accoutrements for crime.
Commander Ochei said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect has been in the practice for a long time and had defrauded victims at Arena Market, Ladipo, Mushin Market, Aswani and Alaba International Market.
She said many of his victims, especially Point of Sale (POS) operators had filed police complaints after he obtained their money from them with fake alerts, adding that the suspect also collected a dealer’s television worth over N300, 000 and another man’s shock absorbers valued at N145, 000 without paying them.
The CPRO said NAFRC Police had to parade him after it was discovered that he has been on the wanted list of the police and the NAF for several fraud cases, adding that his picture was sent for confirmation.
She called on residents who might have fallen victim to the suspect’s criminality to come forward or report at the nearest police station, adding that he would be returned to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
Military sources said Kolawole was part of a syndicate impersonating operatives of the Armed Forces to commit heinous crimes, saying some of his gang members have been caught.
Some of his victims who were present at NAFRC recounted how he robbed them of varying sums, adding that he usually blamed the network for their inability to receive the transferred sum before vanishing.
In some instances, the suspect was said to have dropped his mobile number, asking the vendors to call him should they not get their money after a while but never responded to their calls and messages demanding receipt or payment.
The suspect who admitted he was not a military personnel, claimed he bought the uniform N30,000 from one Sergeant Samuel at Iyana-Ipaja, adding that the said Sergeant recruited him for guard services at a night party the first time he wore the uniform.
He claimed that he was told he could use it to impersonate a soldier while riding his commercial motorcycle so that law enforcement agents won’t arrest him.
Kolawole, who ironically held a book on becoming a gentleman officer, said it was network challenge that affected all the victims at different times from getting credited.
He claimed he already started paying back some of the victims, a claim those around refuted, saying he only paid those he was forced to on the day of his arrest.
