Operatives of Edo Police Command have gunned down a robbery suspect and arrested five persons for allegedly posing as officers of the Nigeria Army in Benin City.
The police gave the names of the suspects as Ehiorobo Evans (28), Osariemen Agho (25) Solomon Hussaini (28) Idoro Solomon and Ezeyi Kelechi.
The command Public Relations Officer DSP Chidi Nwabuzor said yesterday that the suspects assembled in an area and were clad in army camouflage uniforms.
He said that men of the Police force who acted on a tip-off, stormed the scene and apprehended the fake soldiers.
“The operatives of Anti-Cultism Unit acting on a tip-off that five young men namely: Idoro Solomon, Ehiorobo Evans, Osariemen Agho, Solomon Hussaini and Ezeyi Kelechi were seen along PZ road, off Sapele road, gathered in the area, dressed in Army camouflage uniforms, mobilised to the scene and arrested five of the suspects who confessed being fake Army officers.
“They also confessed to have been terrorising the area. Items recovered from them are: Army camouflage uniforms and Jack knives”. DSP Nwabuzor stated.
However, One of the accused, Evans Ehiorobo said he served four months in the Nigerian Army but has been on AWOL for eight months.
According to him, “I am a soldier from 2 division, ordinance unit, Nigerian Army. Yesterday, I came to visit my friend; I knew him from Zaria. And there is one of my course mates upstairs playing game and I joined him before the police came to arrest us.
“I was on mufti, It was my phone that they found my picture that I am a soldier too and that is how I was arrested.
“I am still serving as soldier but I have been on AWOL for eight months now and I didn’t return.
“They have not been paying for a while. I served four months in the army. I have been arrested twice; the first one was for robbery”. He stated.
Also, DSP Nwabuzor explained that the robbery suspect was shot dead and his colleague fatally wounded by men of Okada Division in Ovia North East local government area of Edo State.
The officers had responded to a distress call and engaged the robbers who were allegedly operating along Benin-Lagos Expressway between Fulani junction and Bob Izua market in the area.
Items displayed along with the suspect corpse and the bullets-riddled body of his partner in crime included one cut-to-size locally made single barrel gun, one long toy gun, one machete and two torchlights.
