The Lagos State Police Command is currently investigating two suspected criminals for posing as police officers from Force Investigation Bureau, FIB, and Special Tactical Squad, STS, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The suspects were arrested after they invaded the residence of Fatai Showumi Shina, 20, a spare parts dealer, and Samuel Toyosi, at No. 15, Oseyintola Street, Ifako-Ijaiye in Agege, Lagos around 11.30 pm on July 15th, 2022.
Nigeriacrime.com gathered that suspects broke into the home of two young men, with seven heavily armed men dressed in jackets inscribed with the letter FIB-STS, and began to beat them claiming that they came to investigate the youths for kidnapping.
They brutalised the victims and used Point of Sale, POS, to withdraw about N1.350m from their account.
They also allegedly seized $5000 found in their home and destroyed their properties while posing as officers of the law.
According to the victims, ‘some of them were in mufti, immediately the men were made to enter the apartment, they started slapping and kicking us for keeping them outside for a long time.
They later identified themselves as Police officers from the Force Headquarters on Investigation and therefore, wished to search the apartment’.
It was gathered that the bewildered occupants of the apartment who initially thought they were armed robbers then demanded their search warrant but again, that was said to have been greeted with more severe slapping and beating.
The furious officers reportedly shoved the occupants aside, turned the apartment upside down, damaged some furniture, and in the process discovered $5,000 US dollars in a wardrobe which they quickly took.
The victims said that after turning their apartment upside down without discovering any incriminating documents, the officers reportedly hauled the occupants into separate waiting vehicles having seized their phones, and went along with them in their car.
“On the road, they said they were taken us to Area B Command, Apapa for further interrogation before being flown to Abuja the next day. First, they took us to the front of Red House Police Station, Iju where we were mercilessly tortured.
They left again to the front of Meran Police Station where the beating continued until we were forced to disclose our account details. Having discovered N1.7m in Fatai’s account, the officers told him to give them his ATM pin with which they withdrew N1, 350, 000 .00 using different POS machines.”
Nigeriacrime.com gathered that the victims were able to get the name of their leader while he was browsing during the torture. They Googled it later and got his picture. They called a top police officer related to them in Abuja and he directed them to Lagos state police commissioner who advised that a petition should be written to IGP.
The victims said they wrote the petition but later called Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin who swung into action and informed the DPO in Iju and he drafted policemen to their hideout where the two suspects were arrested.
Two of them including the gang leader who happened to be a serving Police officer were arrested while four others are still on the run. Assorted weapons were reportedly recovered from them.
Police sources said the second suspect is a dismissed policeman. They are said to be a gang of notorious robbers that have been operating in different parts of Lagos and beyond for a long and have been on Police searchlight.
When contacted, Lagos State Police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the arrest of the two suspects and said that investigation was still in progress.