Officials of the Edo State Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) have arrested one Sunday James, who has been parading himself as a military officer, with the rank of a Colonel in the Nigerian Army.
Before he was apprehended on Tuesday around Ring Road, Benin, the suspect was alleged to have been intimidating and oppressing residents and traders in the Benin metropolis.
The PUWOV state commander, Mukhtar Yusuf-Osagie, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City, said the suspect was arrested at the Oba Ovonramwen Square in Benin, with a fake military identification card from the Civil Intelligence Agency (CIA).
According to Yusuf-Osagie, the suspected fake soldier was arrested following intelligence and complaints from residents in the area, adding that the suspect had been handed over to the Oba Market Police Division for further investigation and prosecution.
“Officials of PUWOV have apprehended one Sunday James for impersonating and parading as an officer of the Nigerian Army at the Oba Ovonranmen Square in Benin City. The suspect was arrested wearing military uniforms, with a fake identity card.
“His arrest followed a tip-off that the suspect has been presenting himself as a serving soldier in the area for a while, and has been intimidating and harassing residents, traders and others in the Oba Ovonranmen Square and environs.
“The suspect ran out of luck on December 7, 2021, when he went on with his normal business of harassing and intimidating residents on Camouflage T-shirt when he was apprehended by PUWOV officials.”
“He has been handed over to the Oba Market Police Division for further investigation and prosecution,” Yusuf-Osagie added.
The PUWOV Commander reassured residents of increased collaboration with other security agencies to ensure a crime-free yuletide in the state, adding that PUWOV was committed to supporting the state government in curbing all forms of criminality and making the state habitable for every resident.