Legion officer who steals motorcycle in Lagos in police net

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a legionnaire impersonating officials of the Lagos State Taskforce on Special Offences to rob motorcycle riders popularly called ‘okada’ in Agege and its environs.

The suspect, Umam Hamid, 48, from Borno State, a 2LT of Nigerian Legion, Lagos State Command, was arrested on Friday evening by RRS operatives in Agege after dispossessing one Amin Al–Hassan of his motorcycle.

The suspect who was working with his accomplice, Tijani Bashir, now at large, had accosted his victim at Total Filling Station, Agege and told him that he was a policeman attached to the Lagos State Taskforce on Special Offences.

He told his victim that he was impounding his motorcycle for plying on a restricted area and for operating at prohibited hour.

Bewildered, Al–Hassan began to plead for negotiation; Hrmid then demanded the sum of N20,000 but the victim could only produce N5,000 which the suspect rejected.

“When he refused to accept the N5,000, he mounted the bike and rode it towards Iyana Ipaja. I begged him but he told me to get down from the bike because I sat behind him while his partner rode the bike they brought,” Al–Hassan narrated.

The victim said the fake officer rode through Agbotikuyo, Agege.  “At  Mulero, I forced the bike to a stop by removing its key from the ignition, and I got down.

“We were arguing when two passers-by joined us and they requested for his identity card when he told them that he was a policeman with the Lagos State Taskforce.

“Reluctantly, he flashed his ID card before them but one of them was so swift to snatch it from him. Then, he pulled out a dagger and began to chase the guy who fled towards RRS patrol team nearby; there he was disarmed and arrested.”

At the RRS’s Headquarters, three other victims from whom Hrmid had collected bikes weeks before he was caught on Wednesday, came with particulars of their bikes, alleging that Hrmid, along with an accomplice, whom they described took their bikes.

The victims, Shuaib, Abdullahi, Umaru Hassan and Salisu Umaru, stated that the suspect collected their motorcycles in a spate of three weeks, and that one of his victims was shot at close range in the cheek at Shoretire Street, Agege.

Another of the victims, Shuaib Abdullahi explained that the suspect about 9pm on Wednesday last week, took his bike, FKJ 259 QA, Boxer model, from him, under the pretext that he was taking him to Taskforce Office.

“He drove me to Ile–Zik before threatening me to get down or he would kill me at the deserted place. I requested for his number and he gave me a fake number. I called the number immediately he left but the number didn’t go”.

I learnt he was arrested yesterday, that was why we came to RRS to collect our okada from him”, he said.

The suspect, however, failed to deny the allegations of the three other victims when they confronted him.

Speaking on the development, the Police PPRO, SP, Dolapo Badmos confirmed the arrest of the suspect, stressing that his arrest might help shed more light on reported cases of motorcycles theft in Agege and its environs.

The suspect has been transferred to Specail Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for further investigation.