Fake army Officer arrested in Lagos

A suspected fake army captain, George Edem, was arrested in the Ikeja area of Lagos State after he allegedly tried to secure the release of an impounded motorcycle. Edem is said to havewalked into the office of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit in Alausa on Tuesday, allegedly harassed policemen on duty and was ushered in to see the task force chairman. 

During interrogation by the task force chairman, SP Yinka Egbeyemi, Edem produced an identity card which was discovered to be fake and he was thereafter arrested.

It was learnt that the suspect, who said he resided at Intelligent Quarters, Nigerian Army Cantonment, Ojo, claimed that he was attached to the cantonment before he was discovered to be an impersonator.

Speaking to the police, Edem said he had been impersonating an army captain for eight years, adding that poverty forced him into the act.

He said,

 “I collect money from people who have cases with the police and customs officials. I have been doing it for eight years. I have also been to some Divisonal Police Officers in Lagos. I came for the release of an impounded tricycle in the task force office.”
A police source at the task force said, “The fake army captain harassed both policemen and paramilitary officers at the task force office. He demanded to see the chairman as a matter of urgency.
“Nobody suspected him. He was eventually ushered in to see the chairman. It was while he was being questioned that he was found to be an engineer and not a military officer.”

The Public Affairs Officer of the task force, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the arrest.