The Nigeria police has arrested one Gregory Anyasodo for impersonating inspector of police and extorting members of the public especially at the popular Oshodi market in Lagos.
The 47-year-old father of six has been parading himself as a Police Inspector to harass and extort unsuspecting Nigerians, especially traders at Oshodi Market in Lagos, where he was later arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command.
The suspect, was allegedly in possession of a bag containing N125,000, which he seized from a trader at Oshodi Market, after threatening to arrest her.
investigation revealed that the suspect, an indigene of Owerri North,in Imo State, had been arrested six times for impersonating officials of the West African Examination Council, WAEC, and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, in Imo State. He had also been arrested thrice by policemen attached to Shell Camp, Owerri, over a similar offence.
Anyasodo we gathered relocated to Lagos in 2016 and for himself a police identity card with service number 14873, with the rank of an Inspector, attached to the Lagos State Task Force and Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
He met his waterloo last Thursday when a trader at Oshodi Market, Mrs Emmanuela Joseph, who he allegedly collected her handbag, after threatening to arrest her, lodged a complaint with RRS operatives at Oshodi, that she had N125,000 in the bag.
When accosted the operatives of RRS Anyasodo Confessed seizing the trader’s bag, but denied collecting the money. his response to questions posed at him by the RRS operatives aroused their suspicion which led to his arrest.
During interrogation, Anyasodo said: “I have been into this business since December 2016. I left my wife with six children for Lagos, in preparation for a church’s convention in Lagos, which was held in February at Ijesha. i came early for the programme with the intent to seize the opportunity to look for job in Lagos”.
“Occasionally, people allowed me to sleep at their balconies and corridors after convincing them that I am a stranger. Sometimes i slept in hotels. When i couldn’t get a job, I ventured into impersonation business”.
