Four arrested over illegal sale of fake police uniform, ranks

Four persons have been arrested at the Police College, Ikeja for allegedly producing fake police uniforms and other accoutrements.

The four suspects, all women, were arrested by operatives of the  Lagos State Police Command following a report to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

Some of the fake kits recovered from the suspects include police belts, ranks, badges, shirts, trousers, cardigans, force number and caps.

The arrested persons have been transferred to the  X-Squad unit of the command for further investigations and possible arrest of other members of the syndicate, Metro learnt.

A police source told Metro the suspects were apprehended after some people wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police that some criminals were buying police uniform from the College.

The officer in charge of the X-Squad, Bode Fakeye, was said to have been  directed by the state police boss, Fatai Owoseni to get to the root of the matter.

A police source at the command headquarters further said that “we went to the shops and discovered that truly, people were selling police uniforms and kits and people believed to be civilians were coming to buy them.”

“We arrested the people in the shops and seized 11 big bags of police uniforms, kits and accoutrements,” the source added.

He said that the exhibits and the suspects had been moved to the state command headquarters, while other suspects on the run were being tracked.

The image maker from the state police command, Dolapo Badmos, while speaking on the arrest, said that the case was transferred to the Lagos command from the force headquarters, Abuja.

Badmos said that the Commissioner of Police ordered the officer-in-charge of X-Squad, to investigate and when the officer did and found out that it was true, he ordered the arrest of the suspects and seizure of the materials.

She disclosed that the suspects would be charged to court on two counts of conspiracy and unlawful possession and sales of police kits according to Section 328, Sub section A, B, C, D of Lagos State 2011.