The Zonal Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Lagos, Mr Ghali Ahmed, on Thursday said a gang allegedly impersonating operatives of the EFCC had been arrested.
He warned Nigerians to be vigilant of men parading themselves as officials of the commission.
Ahmed, who spoke in Lagos on Thursday, said two men were arrested alongside a fake ‘Mobile Police Inspector’ for allegedly impersonating officials of the commission in parts of Lagos and extorting money from members of the public.
He said they were arrested at New Horizon Estate, Lekki, Lagos, “in the middle of an illegal operation to serve a purported court order on an unsuspecting victim.”
Ahmed said, “The trio; Pascal Chijioke, Sodiq Adekunle and Edwin Bassey (the policeman); posed as bona fide operatives of the EFCC, and had stormed the residence of their target with all the paraphernalia of a typical EFCC raid – armed with security back-ups, fake branded EFCC jackets and EFCC identity cards.
“The commission, acting on a tip-off, swooped on them. Items recovered from them include fake EFCC ID cards, jackets, a purported court order emanating from the Mushin Magistrates’ Court, and a truckload of household properties belonging to the unsuspecting victim.”
Ahmed said the suspects had made useful statements and would be arraigned in court as soon as the strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria was called off.
“Nigerians should be vigilant and circumspect. We need to be wary of the antics of these impostors and to report any suspicious operation to the nearest EFCC office.
“Most importantly, members of the public confronted with the possibility of an arrest should demand proper identification from arresting officers,” Ahmed said.
Copyright PUNCH.
