Togolese arrested for impersonating LAGESC official

By: Joy Anyim

A 35 year old Togolese man Omoakin Friday Kojo have been arrested around Ikeja railway line for impersonation, extortion with a fake Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps  (LAGESC) identity card.

The suspect who was arrested by men of the Lagos State Task Force was said to have been extorting unsuspecting members of the public with the recovered identity card.

According to the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi who disclosed the arrest in a press statement issued on Sunday,  the suspect was arrested by the enforcement team of the Agency after an official complaint about the illegal activities of the suspect was lodged by the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).

He said,  “the suspect popularly called ‘FRYO’ was nabbed around Ikeja railway line for perpetrating all sorts of illicit act ranging from impersonation, defamation of character and extortion in the name of LAGESC.

” The suspect and his cohorts who are at large paraded themselves as officers of LAGESC with fake identity cards.  They disguised and defrauded their victims by extension defamed the Agency.

” Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect and his cohorts has been long in this illegal business across the State arresting  pedestrians who cross express roads defying pedestrian bridges provided by the government.”

The Chairman therefore warned members of the public to be wary of touts going around impersonating as law enforcement officer of the State. He however confirmed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police CP EDGAL IMOHIMI has directed that the suspect be charge to court.

It was also gathered that the  Commissioner of Police had further charged the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force to ensure that other perpetrators at large were arrested and brought to book to serve as deterrent to other touts.

Kojo in his confessional statement said he have been illegally arresting pedestrians and extorting money from them with his fake identity card in the last six years.

” We were four as a group and our routine operations cut across Ikeja, Berger, Oshodi, Ojota, Ojodu and Mile 2. We made an average of N8,000 to N10,000 per day from arrested pedestrians who would preferred not to be prosecuted in court.

“I made more money in the morning when people were rushing to work and also in the evening when they were going home as they rushed crossing express roads defying the pedestrian bridges”

The suspect who claimed to still be using his old Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) identity card to defraud his victims however appealed to government to tamper justice with mercy that he is ready to be of a good character and go back to his country  (Togo) if pardoned.

SP Egbeyemi further commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the on-going developmental projects across the State particularly the construction of additional modernised pedestrain bridges and lay-bys for commuters along major highways to keep free flow of traffic.

Egbeyemi also enjoined members of the public to stop crossing highways and make use of pedestrian bridges for safety of their lives.