Bizman arrested for impersonating army to beat road checks
A suspect arrested by the FCT Police Command for impersonation of the Nigerian army personnel has said he committed the offence to avoid harassment by men of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and Vehicle Inspection Officers ( VIO).
Chinonso Ani, 30, who said he is into the business of “buying and selling”, said he was arrested after telling his female friend that he was a soldier.
“I told my female friend that I am a soldier whereas I am not, so eventually she got to know that I am not a soldier, so I was arrested.
“I was arrested in Calabar because when I learnt that FCT Police were looking for me, I had to travel.
“My intention for impersonating the army was basically because of the VIO and road safety. I have been suffering harassment on the road and at a point I noticed that when you are a uniformed man, you get easy pass. So I got the jungle cap and I usually put it on my dashboard.
“I have not done anything bad with the uniform apart from telling my few friends and my female friend that I am a soldier. I got the cap from a soldier friend and I bought the T-shirt. I made the ID card,” he said.
The FCT Command spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said another suspect, Gbenga Sanusi, 36, was also arrested for parading himself as a military personnel and terrorising residents of Dagbana village, Jikwoyi, Abuja.
He said Sanusi was arrested by police operatives after report was received that he attacked one Donald Agbum and inflicted injuries on him.
Military camouflage uniform, navy uniform, one military beret, one merchant navy beret, one camouflage face-cap, were some of the exhibits recovered from his apartment, Manzah said.
The Command Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department is investigating and the suspects would soon be charged to court, he said.