Posted by By CHRISTOPHER OJI on
A drama was enacted in Lagos last week when a 36-year-old man dressed in army colonel uniform stormed a police post in Cele area, threatening to deal with policemen on duty if they failed to set free his detained friend, a suspected motorcycle thief.
A drama was enacted in Lagos last week when a 36-year-old man dressed in army colonel uniform stormed a police post in Cele area, threatening to deal with policemen on duty if they failed to set free his detained friend, a suspected motorcycle thief.
The fake army colonel, identified as Abdul Rasak, stormed the police post at about 9.30am barking out orders at the policemen on the counter, and insisting that heavens would fall if they failed to release the detained suspect.
A police source said "he was roaring like a wounded lion, threatening to pull down the police post if within 30 minutes his friend was not released. He was shouting at the top of his voice, giving out orders as if he was in the army barracks. And because of the relationship between us and the army we were very careful in dealing with him."
The source said the confidence of the fake colonel was shattered when the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) came in and met him threatening to pull down the post.
"Oga (DCO) just calmed him down and took him inside his office and after interaction with him, ordered us to arrest him.
"While we were trying to arrest and handcuff him, he was still acting tough like a soldier, threatening that we would pay dearly when his boys arrive.
"After a while, we were surprised when the colonel fell down at oga's (DCO's) feet begging for mercy. We were surprised when the tough-talking colonel who threatened to send his boys after us started crying like a baby. He burst into tears, pleading that oga should have mercy on him but oga said the law must take its course. He offered to bribe us but we rejected his offer and detained him."
Another senior police officer, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the police were able to find out that the suspect was a fake "because he was too young to be a colonel. His age betrayed him. His unruly behaviour made us to suspect him. For a colonel to stoop so low as to come down to a police post to seek with force the release of a common motorcycle thief was ridiculous.
"In fact, I don't even know whether the suspect understood the rank he was wearing. If he had posed as major, well the suspicion would have been less."
It was learnt that when the Divisional Police Officer, Itire, Joseph Aborisade, learnt of the fake colonel's arrest, he sent for him and promptly handed him over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti for proper investigation.
Commenting on the issue, the State Police spokesman, Olubode Ojajuni, said that on May 30, in the morning one Abdul Rasak of Number 5 Coker Compound, Orile Igamu was arrested while parading himself as a colonel in Army uniform at Cele police post where he went to secure the release of a suspected motorcycle thief.
According to him, during a search at his residence, one Nigerian Army cadet corps identity card, one police belt, one army belt and a set of military camouflage uniform were recovered from him.
Ojajuni said one set of Army Khaki uniform, one Army education beret with a cap badge were also recovered from him.
The PPRO said the suspect would be charged to court soon after investigation.
When Daily Sun visited the suspect's residence, neighbours declined to comment on the issue.