By Clement A. Oloyede
A 25-year-old suspected fake operative of the former Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police has been arrested in Abuja.
The suspect, Tijjani Omeka, was reportedly arrested on September 11 by the police in the FCT at Nyanya, Gwagwalape Phase 1 after a sting operation.
Omeka, who is said to be a taxi driver, reportedly paraded himself as an operative of the defunct SARS and often posed as Corporal Tijjani to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
One black face cap with SARS inscription and a walkie-talkie were allegedly recovered from him.
However, while narrating his story to journalists, Omeka insisted that he was innocent of the offence and that he was instead being set-up because some officers of SARS who he used to work with as a taxi driver had taken some money from him with the promise to get him employed as a police officer but they reneged on their promise.
He said, “One of the police officers, called Inspector Abdul is also with my N100,000 making a total N355,000 that I gave them with the promise that as I am helping them, they will help me to get into the police force, which did not work out.
“I believe I am being set-up because I told them that I am taking them to Brekete Family if my money is not provided because they actually promised me.”
Asked how he got involved with the said SARS operatives, Omeka said, “They used to hire me by going with my car for patrol. Also, they used my car to carry suspects to court sometimes. If you take me to SARS now, almost 50% of them know me.”
On the exhibits recovered from him, he said, “The cap belonged to one Sergeant Ibrahim who left it in my car about three months ago. I left my car in Abuja and I travelled to my village. When I came back, I decided to work on my car and then return the cap back to Ibrahim and the walkie-talkie that I found around SARS premises.”
“I was at the mechanic that I was arrested. One Inspector Morgan called me to meet him at a hotel that someone who will help me was there. That was because I told him I was still interested in joining the police force.
“He told me to withdraw some money and it was when I was handing over the money that I was arrested that I was impersonating a police officer,” the suspect said.
