By Desire Emmanuel
A man who paraded himself as a Navy Captain and goes about with an orderly has been arrested by the operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce while attempting to retrieve some vehicles seized during a demolition exercise.
The Chairman of the Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele, ordered the arrest of the impostor, who gave his name as James Robert, after he paraded himself as officers of the Nigerian Navy to obstruct lawful government operations.
It was gathered that Robert visited the chairman’s office seeking the release of vehicles removed during the demolition exercise at the Oworonshoki area of the state.
According to the Taskforce, the man, accompanied by a woman who claimed to be his wife and another person who posed as his orderly, claimed ownership of the car lot at the demolition site and demanded that the vehicles taken from there be returned to him for the sake of “esprit de corps.”
However, following the refusal of the chairman to yield to his request, the fake navy captain became aggressive and threatened to return to barracks and mobilise his men to “deal with the operatives of the taskforce.”
Suspicions further arose when CSP Akerele conducted a detailed interview, requesting information about the man’s primary military assignment and command but he could not provide them.
“Closer observation revealed several inconsistencies, including incorrectly worn service ribbons, the absence of required regimental insignia and an overall shabby appearance inconsistent with that of a senior naval officer. These red flags confirmed the chairman’s suspicions,” the taskforce said.
The chairman was said to have contacted the Naval Police unit of the Nigerian Navy, who, on arrival and further interrogation found out that the individual was not a serving officer. This confirmation led to the prompt arrest of the man, the woman as well as the purported orderly.
“CSP Akerele disclosed that the man had already been under surveillance following repeated altercations with Taskforce officers during field operations, as well as numerous complaints from members of the public about a man posing as a Navy Captain to intimidate and coerce residents into compliance under false pretences,” the taskforce added in a statement on Thursday.
It was gathered that during their interrogation, the woman admitted that she had repeatedly warned her husband to desist from impersonating military personnel and he had refused to do so.
“Before the suspects could fully comprehend what was happening, officers of the Nigerian Navy Military Police were already on ground and took them into custody. They are currently undergoing further investigation,” CSP Akerele stated.
