A 28-year-old, Emmanuel Anthony, has told detectives at Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos that Army uniforms and ranks were sold in the open market at Ojo Cantonment.

The suspect, who was attached to 26 Task Force Brigadiers, O12 Battalion, Maiduguri, said it was easy to get any Army rank in the open market at Ojo Cantonment.

It was learnt that Anthony, a lance corporal, was posted to the North-East in 2016 to fight Boko Haram but deserted and fled to Lagos with his friend, identified as Agu, and took to robbery. On arrival in Lagos, Anthony went to Ojo Cantonment to buy a lieutenant rank with which he and his friend, Agu, drove round the streets of Lagos to look for cars to snatch.

The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Zone 2 Command, CSP Dolapo Badmos, told journalists yesterday that Anthony and Agu would drive around the state, hit a car from behind and an augment would ensue between them and the driver.

She said: “Agu would come out of his car and beg the car owner. If such driver refuses to accept their apology, Agu would enter to the car and drive away.” According to her, they would fix the damaged part of the car and resell it. Badmos, however, said that the suspect, with his friend, who is at large, committed the act sometime in February 2018, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while in Army uniform. Anthony was rearrested on May 13 by the police when the victim he robbed saw him on social media and wrote a petition to AIG Zone 2, Adamu Ibrahim.

She said efforts were being made to arrest Agu. Badmos added that the AIG Zone 2, Ibrahim, had directed that the suspect be charged to court at the completion of investigation. Anthony, who confessed to the crime, said they only applied excessive force on their victims.

He said: “It was Agu who brought the idea. Initially, when we came back from Maiduguri, we were into escorting of goods. But when the money we were making was not enough, my friend suggested we should start stealing cars.

“Whenever, we hit our targeted car. I would be in the car sitting as a senior officer; it is Agu that would be talking to the owner of the car. If the person refuses, Agu will enter into the car, pretending he was taking it to a mechanic workshop. Agu would push the owner out of the car and take it to somewhere at Ayobo where we usually keep stolen cars.

“It was Agu who sold the Lexus jeep we stole for N1.6 million.” According to Anthony, they usually operate about 6.30p.m. The suspect said he had served in the Army for 10 years, before he was dismissed in March 2018 for disserting the military. He added: “I am afraid of Boko Haram and I don’t want to die that was why my friend and I ran away to Lagos.” (New Telegraph)

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