The Lagos State Police Command said it had arrested one Nwagu Emmanuel for allegedly impersonating a commissioner of police to facilitate the release of a suspect from the force headquarters in the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, through the command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, made this disclosure during the parade of Emmanuel along with other suspects at the Police Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday.
Owohunwa said the suspect was arrested when he approached the police headquarters in the state with a fake identification card to facilitate the release of another suspect who had earlier been nabbed for his involvement in different crimes.
The police, however, noted that the suspect gave himself away after failing to answer questions about his claimed position.
The police boss said, “Nwagu Emmanuel was arrested for parading himself as a commissioner of police. To make his claim authentic, he also had a fake ID card as a commissioner of police.
“He actually came into the police headquarters and was about to request the release of a hardened criminal who was in custody. He introduced himself as a commissioner of police.
“That was as far as he could convince us. Further questions, such as where he was serving and some other things, gave him away. Investigations reveal that he has been doing this quietly for some time.
“Only God knows how many civilians he has been able to convince that he was a police officer to get away with some unscrupulous things.”
Fielding questions from journalists, Emmanuel claimed he was given the ID card by one RRS official identified as Abba at a cost of N2,000, adding that the only time he made use of it was when he was stopped by vehicle inspector officers.
He said, “The ID card was given to me by Abba, an RRS official. I was the only one he gave it to. It was inside our hotel. They were guarding that place.
“So, when they vacated the place, he gave me a singlet and even a cap. The ID card was N2,000. It was given to me last year. The only day I presented it was when the VIO stopped me. I told them I was a retired officer.”
Meanwhile, the command also paraded one Ibrahim Bello following intelligence by the Epe Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association for claiming to be a lawyer and rendering legal services for the unsuspecting Nigerians.
“This was reported to us by the Nigerian Bar Association, Epe Branch. They reached out to us about somebody who had been calling himself a lawyer for years.
“He always appeared in court with a robe and law book, and the unsuspecting Nigerians would approach him for whatever legal services they needed. His name is Ibrahim Bello. He was arrested in court with his robe on, looking like a real lawyer,” the police said.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
