Edo police kills robbery suspect, parades five fake army officers

THE Edo State police yesterday killed a suspected highway robber along the Benin-Lagos expressway.

The police spokesman, Mr. Chidi Nwanbuzor who disclosed this yesterday in Benin said that one of the armed robbery suspects was arrested with gun wounds while the third escaped with bullet wounds.

He said that the police succeeded in foiling the operation which occurred in the early hours as a result of the action.

Also, five persons have been arrested by the police in the state for allegedly posing as Nigerian Army officers, and terrorizing innocent people.

Three of the suspects, Ehiorobo Evans, Osariemen Agho, and Solomon Hussaini, who were paraded by the police yesterday at the state headquarters in Benin were said to have deserted from the Nigerian Army while the rest, Idoro Solomon and Ezeyi Kelechi, who were said to be friends to the army deserters were arrested for impersonating as officers of the Nigerian Army.

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Nwanbuzor said that the suspects assembled in their operational base and wore camouflage army uniforms.

He explained that the suspects took advantage of their uniforms to terrorize the innocent citizens of the state.

Acting on a tip-off, the spokesman said that policemen stormed the scene and nabbed the suspects.

He added: “The operatives of anti-cultism unit, acting on a tipoff along PZ road, off Sapele Road, Benin city 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, mobilised to the scene and arrested the suspects who confessed being fake Army officers.”

Items recovered from the suspects, who he disclosed confessed to having terrorised the vicinity wear camouflage army uniforms and use jackknives.

One of the accused, Evans, however, denied, insisting that he served four months in the Nigerian Army but had been absent without leave for eight months.

He said: “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 on mufti, It was my phone that they found my picture where I wore an army uniform. That was how they found out that I am a soldier, and was arrested. I am still serving as a soldier but I have been on AWOL for eight months now and I didn’t return.