page 54
FCT police arrest impersonators
By Ogechi Jaiyesimi
FCT police have arrested a man who claimed to be a Department of State Security (DSS) operative and has been allegedly duping unsuspecting members of the public.
A police source told our reporter that acting on a complaint received from a man that some hoodlums have been calling and intimidating him via telephone that he either pays them a ransom of 10,000 and car or risk being killed, the police swung into action and arrested the suspect.
City News gathered that police operatives attached to the Command State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), through discrete investigation succeed in arresting one Pedro Harida-Ojo, alleged to be the mastermind of the nefarious act.
“Sensing the arrest of the gang’s leader, another member of the gang, Samson John Sani, who disguised as a DSS operative visited the complainant and threatened him to either withdraw the case instituted against Pedro Harida-Ojo or pay the ransom requested, threatening that the DSS will take up the matter and deal with the complainant,” the source said.
Our reporter gathered that on the receipt of the information, police arrested the suspect in whose custody a DSS retiree ID card belonging to a retired personnel of the service, one Amali Sani, who is now late, was recovered.
When the FCT police spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent Anjuguri Manzah was contacted, he confirmed the incident and said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as discreet investigation is concluded.