Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Operatives the Edo State Police Command in the early hours of today, foiled an armed robbery incident along the Benin-Lagos expressway, killing one of the robbers in the process.
One of the robbers was said to have been arrested with gun wounds while another reportedly escaped with bullet wounds.
The Command also paraded five persons for impersonating as Nigerian Army officers and using their uniforms in terrorising the citizens of the state.
Three of out of the five persons, Ehiorobo Evans, Osariemen Agho, Solomon Hussaini, were said to have deserted from the Nigerian Army and the two others, Idoro Solomon and Ezeyi Kelechi, who were said to be their friends.
Spokesman for the police command, Chidi Nwabuzor, said in a statement that the suspects assembled in an area, wearing army camouflage uniforms, adding that the suspects were using their uniforms in terrorising innocent citizens of the state.
He said that men of the Nigeria Police Force who acted on a tip-off, stormed the scene and nabbed the suspects.
“The operatives of Anti-Cultism Unit, acting on a tip-off along PZ Road, off Sapele Road, Benin City, got wind that five young men namely: Idoro Solomon, Ehiorobo Evans, Osariemen Agho, Solomon Hussaini and Ezeyi Kelechi were seen gathering in the area, dressed in army camouflage uniforms; they mobilised to the scene and arrested the suspects who confessed to be fake army officers.
“They also confessed to have been terrorising the area. Items recovered from them were army camouflage uniforms and Jack knives”, part of the statement reads.
However, one of the accused, Evans Ehiorobo said he served four months in the Nigerian Army but had been on AWOL for eight months.
“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 in 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 a 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,” Ehiorobo said.