Operatives of the Lagos State Police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have arrested a 42-year-old man, accused of impersonating a soldier, for allegedly abducting and robbing a victim of valuable possessions.
The RRS disclosed the arrest in a post on its official X handle, @rrsLagos767, on Wednesday. According to the statement, the suspect, identified as a dismissed army sergeant and ex-convict, was apprehended on Saturday at Ikeja Underbridge.
“The suspect was identified and apprehended after being spotted by one of his victims near Computer Village, Ikeja,” the statement said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that on Dec. 30, 2024, the suspect accused his victim of bumping into him and claimed the incident caused the loss of his gold ring. Pretending to be an army officer, he allegedly threatened the victim, showing a fake military identification card to intimidate him.
The suspect reportedly warned the victim that failure to produce the missing ring would result in being taken to an army barracks in Oshodi. He then called an accomplice, who arrived on a motorcycle, and forced the victim onto the bike under the pretense of heading to the barracks.
Instead, they diverted to Third Mainland Bridge, where the victim was robbed of an iPhone 13 and cash before being abandoned. Further investigations revealed that the suspect later sold the stolen phone for N150,000 at Computer Village in Ikeja.
According to the police, the suspect had previously been arrested in 2024 for a similar crime in Ikeja and was subsequently imprisoned. During his recent arrest, a fake Nigerian Army identification card and a cap were recovered from him.
The RRS confirmed that the suspect has been transferred to the Commissioner of Police’s Special Squad for further investigation.
