A 65 years old man identified as Oshigbemi Marshal has been arrested for parading himself as an Assistant Superintendent by Policemen attached to Ilemba Hausa division in Lagos State.
The suspect, who claimed to be a dismissed policeman with two others at large, reportedly invaded a brothel along Ilemba Hausa Road at the weekend, arresting the hotel manager, some staff, commercial sex workers and their male patrons for human trafficking.
They were said to have identified themselves as operatives from the State Criminal Investigations Department, Yaba.
Oshigbemi, a father of 10, led the illegal operation. They were said to have demanded N4, 500 from the arrested persons, and threatened to take them to the dreaded SCID if they refused.
Some of the frightened commercial sex workers and their patrons were said to have parted with the requested sum after which they were released, while others begged with N1, 500 claiming that was all they had realized that night.
It was gathered that the bubble burst after the bar man who out of curiosity demanded for their van with which to convey the suspects to SCID, and Oshigbemi said the driver of the patrol van had gone to fuel the car.
But after waiting without any sight of the patrol van, the curious staff was said to have contacted policemen from Ilemba Hausa, who arrived the scene.
“Immediately they sighted the police patrol van from Ilemba Hausa division in front of the brothel, the fake policemen who came for the raid took to their heels. But one of them was arrested and taken to the station” a brothel staff said.
It was further gathered that preliminary investigation at the station revealed that the men were not policemen. Oshigbemi during interrogation claimed he was a dismissed policeman.
In his confessional statement to the Police, Oshigbemi reportedly said he was dismissed from the Police Force two years ago.
According to him, “I was dismissed for illegal conduct. I was among policemen arrested at road block after it was banned, in Sokoto State Police command. I ventured into this act because of my dismissal and I do not have any regret for it, he said”
But when contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide said the suspect was never a policeman, disclosing that a fake police identity card was recovered from him. She added that the suspect had been charged to court for impersonation.
