Christopher Oji
A man who claimed to be a Nigerian soldier, Christopher, has been arrested for alleged serial killings and armed robbery. The suspect who claimed to be a Lance Corporal attached to 55 Army Signal Corps, Arakan Barracks, Lagos, was arrested in a hotel at Ijanikin, in Ojo area of Lagos.
Christopher also claimed that he was formerly deployed to Maiduguri, Bornu State, but came to Lagos in December, 2018, to engage in smuggling of frozen poultry products. He said he was into smuggling as a part time business to argument his meagre income, which was not enough to take care of his family.
Recovered from the suspect were three android phones, which the police said he stole in the hotel where he lodged. He said: “What happened was that on the day I was arrested, I had appointment with a lady friend of mine, who I met in one of those my numerous trips to Seme border, Badagry. She asked me to meet her in a hotel at Ketu area of Ijanikin. I called her when I got to Ketu bus stop and she directed me to the hotel. I got to the hotel around 11pm. We had some drinks in the bar before we retired into our hotel room. Before we left the bar, I saw three phones on the table and there was nobody. I informed the security man attached to the hotel. I was keeping the phones for the owner. I was arrested the following day and the police said I stole the phones.
“The police also said I was among the cultists that recently killed many people in Mile 2, Lagos, and Benin in Edo State. Well, I agreed because the police were beating me. I am a soldier who is on AWOL from Maiduguri. I am not into crime, but I ran away after all we suffered in the North.
“Yes, the axe and other things were recovered from me, but I will explain how I came about the things. I collected the axe that was recovered from me from a cultist at mile 2. I saw them fighting and I collected the axe from one of them. I collected the cutlass from some hoodlums at Alaba Rago but I came to Lagos with the dagger that was found on me.”
A detective alleged that the soldier has been on the police wanted list as he was involved in serial killings. “He is a leader of a cult group. He led his gang to kill some rival cult members in Mile 2 and led another operation in Benin, Edo State capital. We have been trailing him and we finally picked him.