‘Fake’ police officer arrested in Edo

Men of the Edo State Police Command have arrested Austin Ibeto, who allegedly paraded himself as a member of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos State.

He was nabbed at Okhuaihe in Uhunmwode Local Government.

A police identification card indicating his purported promotion to the rank of an Inspector was allegedly found on him.

He wore a branded polo and a fez cap with FSARS inscribed on them.

Ibeto was alongside 85 suspects arrested for alleged offences ranging from kidnapping to cultism, robbery, impersonation and sale of hard drug suspected to be Indian hemp.

He told reporters that the identity card and crested polo were given to him by his friend, a policeman.

The suspect denied parading himself as a policeman to defraud the public.

He said he had been a police auctioneer and an informant for the past 20 years.

His words: “I did not parade myself as a policeman. They saw this uniform in my car when I was coming to Benin. It belongs to one of my friends who worked in the SARS. This ID card was given to me by the Lagos State Police Command. I do not impersonate. I am an auctioneer.”

Also paraded was a four-man kidnapping gang who specialised in kidnapping women and defiling them.

The gang’s leader, Desmond Ojo, said they kidnapped a woman, defiled her and collected N2million ransom.

He said he did not use condom while defiling the women, adding that he used his share to buy a car.

Wilson Okunzuwa, whose home was used by drug dealers to store a substance suspected to be Indian hemp, was paraded.

Nineteen bags of the substance were recovered at the house located at Odiguetue village in Ovia Northeast Local Government.

Okunzuwa said he was a farmer and that the drug dealers contacted him to use his home to store the substance before selling it to sub-dealers.

He said they assured him that they had ‘settled’ security operatives, adding that he collected N1,000 per bag.

Police Commissioner Haliru Gwandu, who paraded the suspects, said the arrests were made to ensure a peaceful Yuletide.

He said 33 persons were arrested for cult-related activities.

Haliru said the suspects would be arraigned after investigation.