An armed robbery suspect and police impersonator, Mr Hassan Abubakar has said that he is not an armed robber but police impersonator and that frustration with five children was behind his zeal in joining an impersonation syndicate to survive.
Abubakar, who was paraded along with other suspected criminals at Anambra state police command by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr John Bassey Abang on Monday for impersonating as a Deputy Superintendent of Nigeria Police.
The suspect told Tribune Online in tears that, when police dismissed him as an Inspector, he decided to be wearing police uniform to escort vehicles so that his children can feed well and survived.
Abubakar, 34, from Benue State, said “I was dismissed by police as an inspector for misfiring. I was on special duty from R15,42 squadron Zamafra State to Lagos along Lekki peninsula, near Moroko police division, during the 2015 general election.
There was information that armed robbers were coming towards our direction and we stopped the vehicle, they refused and in high speed, by the time we knew it they shoot one of my Inspector and I returned fire, the vehicle somersaulted three times and Police recovered three pistols in the vehicle.
Finally, it was discovered that one of the occupants was the son of the former governor of River state governor Peter Odili.
When the police dismissed me, I waited to be reinstated and since I have nothing to do and I have five children, I had to be wearing police uniform to escort motors. whenever I see an escort, I will follow them to get money to feed them.
Last week’s Thursday, one Godwin Abba sold a corolla car to me and I transferred N800,000,00 from my Eco bank account to his Fidelity bank account, without knowing that the car he sold to me was stolen and has a tracker. Since I cannot drive, I had to engage a driver. I wore police uniform so that the custom will not disturb us since there was no duty paid on the motor. I used the uniform to influence security operatives to pass us.
Along the line, I was arrested along Inhiala road after my explanation, nobody wants to hear or listen to me. I know who sold the car to me and I can identify him. I am not armed robber, he narrated.
On Saturday, the IPO brought us out that where we robbed has a camera and the person came and couldn’t identify us.
Again, unknown to me, the police has posted our picture on the internet, somebody came from Awka and said we robbed him and collected his corolla. The person who sold the car to me is still around and I can still identify him uptil tomorrow. I paid him money, and I did not know it was a stolen vehicle” he stated.
Abubakar called on the police to thoroughly investigate the case, saying that since he was dismissed from Police, he had never handle rifles.
According to him, the man who accused him, of robbing him was his neighbour in orlu Imo State, where his wife was trading.
However, the victim, one Mr. Nonso Chinecherem, said on 12 July 2019, he was robbed along Roban store Awka by the people.
“They robbed me between 9 to 9.15 pm. The two young men came to me and started asking for my car key and I protested before I knew it they started shooting guns into the air and drove away with my car.
On last week’s Thursday, I was going through social media I saw that police have arrested them and I called the Police Public Relations Officer, he asked me to check SARs and when I got there I was able to identify them because when they robbed me the street light was on and I saw them clearly” he stated.
Nonso, however, denied knowing the suspects, saying that he is from Anambra and had never lived in Orlu.
Parading the suspect along with others, CP Abang said on the 08/08/2019 at about 4:30 pm, following intelligence report, Police operatives attached to the Command Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) arrested Hassan Abuka in Ihiala, dressed in Police camouflage uniform bearing a DSP rank with one Ismaila Ahmed also from Benue State.
According to him, the suspects specialized in impersonating Police to deceive their victims.
He said they snatched a Toyota Corolla Car, Reg. number Lagos AGL 357 FC, from a yet to be identified victim in Lagos and were geolocated at their hideout in Anambra State.
“Exhibits recovered in their possession include the snatched vehicle and additional vehicle plate number Lagos FKJ 701 FR” he said
and then