Years ago, ACP Dolapo Badmos held sway while she was named the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), where she served in the office for a few months before she was elevated to zone 2 command covering Lagos and Ogun states as Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO).
While in office, she was admired by many as she did her job with much finesse. She made the headlines several times as some faulted her while some praised her but she has remained unperturbed doing her job diligently.
At a point in her career, she was summoned by the Police authority over an alleged case of brutality. This made her recoil back into her cocoon as her detractors disclosed that she was demoted but on the contrary, she was allegedly reprimanded and redeployed to another assignment space where she kept mute for years.
Dolapo, who is a known fashion buff and socialite, retraced her steps and went off the public cynosure.
After several years of being due for promotion in the police force, last week, the Police Service Commission officially promoted her from her former rank as a CSP administration Provost Marshal Force Headquarters to the Commissioner cader as an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
In a joyful mood, she took to her social media handle to celebrate the development as she noted that her new level was uploaded.
Sources say her friends and associates are planning to host her at an event to celebrate the milestone because it should have happened a long time ago but it is better late than never for the light-skinned former DPO Isokoko Agege Police Station.
Police Zonal Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police, exudes charm with a cheerful personality. Her voice could sing a baby to sleep and at the same time readily puts fear into a criminal. She brings finesse into her police duties, and even at social functions, she remains the toast of many. For a public relations officer, Dolapo, who studied Accounting in school, has not done badly. No wonder she was recently elevated from the Lagos command level to the zonal level. In this interview with PAUL UKPABIO and BIODUN ADEYEWA, she talks about her love life; why she almost dropped out of her police training course and how she missed death narrowly during a police shoot out with robbers.
Congratulations on your recent elevation. Can you enlighten us about your new designation?
I was the Police Public Relation Officer Lagos State, but I have been elevated to be the zonal PRO. That is, the jurisdiction covering Lagos and Ogun states. That is my present position. The police public relations office is at levels; we have the state command, the zonal command, and then The Force PRO. That is a bigger assignment, how do you shuttle between the two states? Its a duty and it is do-able. Today I am in Lagos, tomorrow I will be in Ogun State. I have been juggling daily work between the two states. For me, it is not a burden because I have always had passion for police work. Presently I am on higher ground and I am enjoying it, even though it is a tough work. I still enjoy it because of the passion. I see my duties as responsibilities and not necessarily as a task or major challenge. I see it all as an added assignment and I have been having a good run, thanks to my AIG and my other bosses who have been supportive. Which has the bigger challenge for you in terms of police work, is it Lagos or Ogun State? Well, as a PRO at the command level, you have much on your hand to battle with because, you have no one else to push it to. But when you get to the Zonal Police Command where I am, you take responsibility.
It is like being moved to the position of a manager in a large institution. You are at that point not just managing people, but also designating people to duties and responsibilities. So I create tasks, delegate people to handle them and get the results. It is a higher responsibility for me but with power of delegation. How do you combine your work with the home front? I am definitely not going to say that it is an easy task because, the home-front needs my attention and the office needs my attention too. But I think I have been lucky to have a supportive family. My children have come to understand that they see mommy when they see mummy.
And when they do not see mommy, it means they do not see mummy. What I have also been doing is that, the little time I have with the children, I use it to bond with them. I dedicate such times to them. And when it is time for work, there I go. It has been God who has taught me how to cope. You have this image of the police force being everything to you. Where did you get such passion from? And as a child, did you foresee that one day you will be in the Police Force? Truly, with all modesty, I have seen a lot of young people, who said to me that I have made them to like and admire the Police Force. And they tell me that it makes them to take a second look at joining the police force or taking a shot at a career in the force. Yes, that has been a thing of joy to me because whatever you are doing, you should be a shining example. That will be the indication that you are doing it rightly.
If I should by my work and physical appearance convince people to the extent that they want to join the Police Force, then as a PRO, I am certainly on the right track. So to answer your question on whether I foresaw myself being a police officer before I joined the force, I can say that when I was growing up, my father used to tell me that what is worth doing, is worth doing well. I never planned to be a police officer. It happened by coincidence. My uncle that actually wanted to be a police officer, could not actualise that dream because he didn’t have the opportunity. So he urged me on or even forced me into joining the Police Force. Looking back now, do you have any regret about that decision? Looking back, I have no regret because while I was growing up, I wanted to be a doctor.
Then I figured that I wanted to save lives. I have always had passion to save people or save lives. Also I recall that when I was in primary school, my mates used to come to call me whenever they were bullied or oppressed by same sex or the opposite sex, and I would champion their cause and ward off the oppressors. Indeed maybe in a way, God prepared me for this. So gradually I was doing it even without realising it. What does being a police woman mean to you? Right now, I am looking inward. Policing is a profession. It is angelic because you could be sleeping late in the night and someone calls you that he or she is being attacked and you stand up, mobilise people to the scene. With that, lives are saved and properties recovered or protected. I don’t think anyone can just be called upon to do that. And again, I do not think that it is everyone that will stand up like that to go and rescue anyone. So I see police work as being angelic and I am grateful to God that I am doing such a job. It is an uncommon profession when you are a police officer. I am glad to be a police officer and if I return to this world again, I will still be proud to be a police officer. Who has been your mentor? I will say that my mom has been my mentor. She has a strong character. She doesn’t give up on anything. She believes that with a strong, hard push, a mountain can shift. She brought us up that way.
That is why when I come across any challenge in my work as a police officer, I do not bulge or give up to the challenge. Secondly I get inspired by the life of Oprah Winfred. I like her strong character; she tells you to be focused no matter what you are going through, because the end justifies the means. These two people have really inspired me in life. I am grateful to God that they have been available for me. What has been the turning point in your life and career? That would be when I was given the job of the police public relations officer. Before then, I was in operations and I was on the field. I used to think everybody knows the work of a police officer, and most of us felt the police was doing it well. But when I came on board to the office of the PRO, I discovered that not too many people love the police. I kept wondering why we were doing so much and people were not seeing our efforts. So I thought there was a problem that needed sorting out. That made me to think and look inward. So I keep trying my best, though my best may not be noticed now, but I keep trying believing that at the end of the day, it will show. To a large extent, some people do not like the police, but we will keep trying our best. We will go out of our way to make the police acceptable. A lot of people also do not know that there are a lot of challenges that do not allow the police to be readily loved.
Again other people have had pre-conceived notion about the police. Some see the police as an agent of oppression, and treat them as such. But I know and hope that all such impressions will change. We are trying our best in that regard so that the police and members of the public could remain good friends. After joining the police force, was there a moment when you thought of giving up? That moment was definitely when I was at the Police Academy. My first experience of grounding in the academy was horrible. As a fresh graduate, straight from the national youth service corps programme, I was faced by the need to get into the police force after being prompted to do so, by an uncle who said he didn’t have an opportunity to join. He was an uncle I cherished. He wanted me to serve the country. But when I got to the Police Academy, we met our instructors, and then I walked passed them. They were shocked. So they called me back asking where I thought I was going to.
I was equally shocked the way they asked me such a question as if I was not at liberty to do whatever I liked. Still shocked the way I was challenged, I told the instructors that if they wanted to talk to me, they ought to calm down and talk to me in a better way. They told me that they would not calm down here, that, that was a training ground. That was when the import of where I was, started dawning on me. I asked myself repeatedly if I was sure I wanted to stay there and continue or return home. The parade which took place everyday too was not encouraging; the blowing of the bugle that woke us up in the dark at 5am was very disturbing. In the morning, we were forced to run, and do all sorts of exercise. Then also we were taught to lift up our legs in a left and right manner; all that was overwhelming for me. All that really took some time to sink into my head. And you know what, I thought the one we encountered during the NYSC period was tedious. But when I got to the Police Academy, I realised that what we did at the NYSC Camp was a big joke. At the end of the day, that training toughened us, because we are not meant to be the usual regular persons when we go out on assignments on the road. We are trained tough so that we can weather tough moments on the job.
Also, we were trained to be civil so that no matter what condition we find ourselves, we could still remain civil. It was tough. And from there, we moved to the mobile police training, where we were woken in the morning with teargas and you stand up and start jogging. Everything with mobile police training is force. Even when we were to eat, we were told that we could only know when we start eating our meal, but do not know when we will stop, which meant that, you could just be taking your first two spoons of food, when the bugle is blown and you must drop your food and move. During that period, I wanted to give up thinking the job was not for me because I had figured myself to be a trained accountant who would work in a bank in an air-conditioned office, managing people’s accounts and ledgers. But all of a sudden, I found myself doing left and right on the parade ground with virtually no hairstyle at all. Yes, one really wanted to ask you, how the average young female police officer copes with fashion within the police force? Police work takes away fashion from the female. You need to put up a conscious effort before you can still be fashionable, that is because, police work is not about fashion, it is about being on the move.
Initially, I found that difficult to cope with and almost decided to leave. I actually parked my load and was ready to leave. But I was discovered; I was told that I cannot just leave. That if I must leave, I had to go back to the Police Academy and leave from there. That ofcourse was just as much as saying that it was impossible to leave! I told them that I can leave from anywhere and at any point. But I was grimly told that I could not leave. That was when I realised that there was no going back. That was also when I realised that I would still have to be there for another few months, taking my teargas steady. At that point, I decided that if i must continue taking the teargas and other training, then it was better I relaxed and enjoyed it. Somehow when I survived it for one week and didn’t die, I felt there was nothing again that could break me down. I had to carry on and completed the 18 months course. But funny enough, all those set of people that trained us, were the first set of people to salute us. So it was fulfilling. And that taught me a lesson, that no condition is permanent.
That if you pull through your challenges, your challenges will salute you at the end of the day. Still on fashion, it is assumed that people like you who wear uniforms at work do not have time for building fashionable wardrobes, do you really have regular clothes? Well if I must say, the best attire i can ever have as a police officer, is my police uniform. As a policewoman, the earlier one has that at the back of one’s mind, the better. My uniform remains my beset attire. If you invite me to a wedding or any other social function on a work day, I will be there in my uniform. I will not go home to change into any other thing. That is because, I can be there at your social function and duty calls. But outside police work, I am a jeans freak. Anytime, anywhere, my jeans enables me to be on the go. Except of course, I am lucky not to be on duty, and it is an event where one is reminded to wear our traditional attire. But 1must tell you that I am more fashionable in my police uniform than in any other clothing. I have won my uniform long enough to keep me warm and comfortable. What other memories of childhood do you have? I was fearful when I was growing up as a daddy’s girl. I was not a mommy’s girl because my mommy could beat! So I was a daddy’s girl. My dad taught me to be open and plain and not to play pranks. I didn’t play pranks because there were no opportunities for that.
How do you handle being beautiful? I have been handling that since I was young. I remember while growing up, my mom used to tell me that I am beautiful, that I have big eye balls. My mates then used to talk about my big eye balls and when I got home, I used to report them to my mom. Instead my mom used to look at me alarmed that I had the best thing in the whole world. My mom made me to grow up knowing that I am a beautiful woman. This is a joke, but during those early days while I was at the Police Academy and during our parades, the men among us used to miss their steps because they were usually looking at me (she laughs at the memory).
Dolapo
When the instructor said move to the right, some of them would move to the left. I don’t want to mention their names because they are likely to read this. But I still make jest of them from time to time when we are all together. When men tell you that you are beautiful, how do you react, first as a police officer and then as a lady? Some people just say it as a compliment and nothing attached. When I see such people, I figure it out because I can sense sincerity when I see it. ‘Oh thank you’, is always my answer. But when I sense that there is more to the simple compliment, I easily ward off the person. I don’t fight anyone for having interest in me. I manage the situation. Some of them I immediately start calling them my uncle which tells them exactly what they are to me. When I am not in a police uniform and someone is overdoing a compliment, sometimes I just scare them by asking, ‘Can you handle a police officer?’’ And the next question they usually ask me is, ‘Are you a police officer for real?’ And then I will reply, ‘Yes, I am.’ And then the change of discussion. But some will tell you they don’t mind.
‘It is you that I see, I am not seeing a police officer.’ Then I will say, ‘Sorry I am married,’ to put them away. Some men are stubborn, so the best thing is to cut off from them. And what can you say about your husband? He is a fantastic guy. He has told me that I should keep him away from my work. I met him after my graduation and national youth service programme. We have been married for several years now. Have you had any close-to-death experience so far in your career? Yes, I’ve had. I am a very inquisitive person. I always want to learn. When I was on attachment, I heard there was a robbery incident. My Divisional Police Officer (DPO) mobilised for the police to move to the scene. I said I wanted to be there with the DPO. The DPO said that I should remain at the station.
But I had already signed for a pistol. That was how I was part of the team. However, 200 metres away, we ran into a shoot out. I held unto my pistol as there was firing and cross-firing. It was no joke. It was a heavy exchange of fire. At a point, I had to summon courage to say my last prayers. I told God that if that situation led to my death, please forgive my sins, and if I am meeting you God at this point, just because of my national assignment, accept and forgive me into your kingdom. Meanwhile, the exchange of fire was raging on. I remember that we lost a policeman in that shoot-out. But our team was able to kill three of the armed robbers in Abuja then.
That was a near-death experience for me. I will not say that it scared me, but I would rather say that it made me to realise the thin line between life and death. That happened about 13 years ago. Do you have any message for the young ladies who may presently consider joining the police force? I am happy to be a role model to many youths. I desire to continue to mentor some of them. One thing that I will always tell them is, get value for yourself. Success is not contagious. You cannot be successful just because you are attaching yourself. I urge young girls to pursue success by themselves. They should also try to add value to their lives. When you are successful, you can stand. All young ladies should know that success is not contagious. They have to work for success by themselves.
Policemen attached to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone II, Onikan have arrested a fake naval personnel, Kingsley Chukwueke, 26, and two others for robbery.
Chukwueke, a motorcyclist Chidi Ibrahim and a tailor, Alaba Akanni were paraded Tuesday by the zonal spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP).
According to the police, Chukwueke and Ibrahim attacked a motorist, Pascal Umeh-Okafor on Friday night on Ijora Bridge and dispossessed him of his money, phones and key car.
They were however unfortunate as a patrol vehicle on surveillance in the axis, suspected something was wrong and arrested the suspects when they arrived the scene.
Narrating how he was attacked, Umeh-Okafor, a trader, said the suspects double-crossed him with their two motorcycles in traffic.
He said he obeyed them when he saw that Chukwueke was on uniform and decided to know what his offence was.
According to him, they initially accused him of hitting another motorists despite that there was no car infront of him.
He said they slapped him and hypnotised him, such that he didn’t know what was happening to him.
Umeh-Okafor said: “When they double crossed me, they surrendered me and collected all my phone, phones and car key. They robbed something on me such that I didn’t know what was happening to me.
“Policemen came and asked me what was happening and I told him they were my friends and they have collected my car. But the police were not convinced and they accosted the guy and asked him if he was a personnel. He said yes. They collected my N7,500. There was nowhere to escape the way they blocked me. There was traffic and it was a narrow path. I was the only one in my car.”
Denying the robbery allegation, Chukwueke said that he only searched the complainant because he breached their agreement.
He admitted he was not a naval personnel, adding that he bought the material for the uniform at Badagry Market and gave it to Akanni to sew for him.
He said: “I bought the material at Badagry and gave it to a tailor to sew for me last year. I just sewed the uniform. I have been trying to join the military or police since 2006 without success. I love the navy and so, I got their uniform so that if I am taken, I would know I have a uniform already.
“I was not wearing the uniform. It was inside my bag. I didn’t steal from the complainant. I was riding my bike when I saw the complainant arguing with another person. It seems he hit the person’s car and they were arguing. So, I stopped and introduced myself as a naval personnel.
“The complainant begged me to settle his dispute with the other party, that he would pay me N3, 000. I settled their differences and he paid the other N1, 030. But when the man left, he refused to give me my own N3, 000 and brought out N1, 000 that it was all he had.
“I refused and told him that wasn’t our agreement and he said I should search him if I would see any money on him. The mistake I made was that I searched him. It was while I was searching him that police came and got me. I am not a robber and I didn’t steal anything from him.
“I was carrying a bag that had the uniform in it. I am aware it is a crime to have security uniform when I am not a personnel. The person who gave me the crest on my barrette is dead. They called him Marcus Mighty. He gave me the crest before I left Lagos by the time I came back, they said he was dead. I don’t know if he’s a real naval personnel but I used to see him on uniform.
Ibrahim also denied being a robber, insisting that he only stopped by when he saw his colleague, Chukwueke with the man.
He said aside being a motorcyclist, he’s also an assistant to health officers.
“I am a scout. I have my ID here. I was wearing the military singlet inside. I bought the singlet and short at the market. There was traffic and I took passenger from Wharf to Ijora. It was on my way back that I saw this bike man (Chukwueke) and the complainant dragging. I didn’t come down from my bike. I even gave them some distance and was watching what was happening.
“I asked them why they were arguing. I saw the bike man doing as though he was searching the complainant. In no time, I saw policemen there. I was still where I stood watching them as they were explaining to the police. It was where I sat on my bike that the driver came and held my bike. I thought he wanted me to be a witness but later the police came and they told me to follow them.
“They told me to follow them to explain what I saw. But the next thing, they handcuffed me and that’s how I am here. I stopped there because I have seen the bike man once in Costain. I knew he was a motorcyclist and I wanted to be sure nothing was wrong. While we were still there, I saw the guy running with a bag towards naval base. Then, I later saw him with two other soldiers. It was one of the soldiers that came and said if u was not his accomplice, why was I wearing soldier clothe? I do not know anything about the matter.”
Akanni, a resident of 103, Mosafejo Street, Iyatoro, admitted sewing the uniforms for Chukwueke and his friend, Williams.
He said that they showed him identity cards that they were naval personnel, adding that he charged N500 for each of the uniforms because he was happy he had naval personnel as customers.
The police also arrested a fake cop, who specialises in escorting vans and trucks.
Alex Agbo, 38, was arrested around Iyana Ipaja, while onboard a van laden with iron rods.
According to Badmos, he claimed to be a Spy police, but was caught with police attire.
Badmos said: “The zonal command has been inundated with lots of complaints that security men on illegal duty were disturbing motorists.
“Men of zonal al X-Squad were activated to find out what was happening and a fake policeman was arrested. Upon investigation, it was discovered he was not a policeman and he adorned police uniform. He claimed to be Spy, which he was yet to prove. Even as a spy, he was not supposed to be on police uniform.
“The zonal command also caught fake naval officers robbing a man. Police patrol team saw the situation and was able to rescue the victims. The tailor who sewed the clothes was arrested. The AIG, Adamu Ibrahim has directed they should be charged to court at the completion of investigation.”
The video of a child allegedly lynched and set ablaze in Lagos has caused outrage on social media with Nigerians demanding the immediate prosecution of his killers.
In the short video, the boy said to be seven-year-old was caught while trying to steal people’s phones and money at Orile-Iganmu.
Another report alleged that the incident occurred at Badagry, adding that the child was not the thief but only attempted to stop three men who later fled.
Although it could not be ascertained where the incident occurred and what led to the mob action, the video, pictures of the incident showed blood gushing from the kid’s head as his attackers meted jungle justice on him.
After beating him up mercilessly, a tyre was forced through his head and he was burnt to death.
Efforts to get the information from those that originally posted it on Saturday proved abortive as it was discovered that the information has been deleted.
However, an online site, Ibommedia, screen munched the pictures posted by one Oladipupo Raphael Dare captioned: “Lagos thief rest in bad. Good bye to you ooo”.
His post sparked condemnation from his Facebook friends who believed it was inappropriate and insensitive.
The public outcry over the video moved the police in Lagos to appeal to people with information on the incident to assist.
It was gathered that both the Divisional Police Officers at Orile and Badagry were on their toes on Wednesday trying to locate where the mob action took place within their jurisdiction without success.
Contacted, the command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP) said: “Studying the video to ascertain if it occurred. Got the report through social media. If established that incident actually occurred, the command would ensure that those behind it are fished out and brought to justice.
The police in Lagos State on Monday arrested an alleged armed robber, Usman Fashola, 29.
Fashola was caught with a locally made double barrel gun and charms concealed in a polythene bag.
It was gathered that policemen on patrol along Idumota sighted three men acting suspiciously.
While two of them escaped, Fashola was apprehended and taken to the station.
According to the command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP), the suspect confessed that they were on their way to rob a businessman in the market.
She said: “He said that most of the petty robbery around Idumota were perpetrated by them. He also confessed to be their armourer.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects. The Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspect be transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Sqaud (SARS) for discreet investigation.”
One of the two suspects arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command has disclosed that he and over 50 teenagers in Oshodi survive by stealing and dispossessing passers-by of their phones and other valuables.
The suspect, Yusuph Ahmed, 19, from Offa, Kwara State according to a press statement by the RRS disclosed this to interrogators at the Squad’s headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja on Friday afternoon.
Ahmed, who was arrested in Oshodi on Friday after dispossessing a passenger of his phone, stated that he along with over 50 teenagers sleep in Oshodi under bridge and that it is from here they eke out a living by stealing phones and robbing passers-by of the valuables.
Ahmed, who has been sleeping under Oshodi Bridge since he was 13, stressed that even though he doesn’t follow those who rob amongst them out all the time, he knows all of them.
“I sleep in Oshodi Under Bridge. We are like 50 or 60 teenagers sleeping there. The adults sleep in Ori – Pako. I was 13 years old when I started sleeping there. I keep my cloth there.
“I sleep around 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. There are some of us who do not sleep at all. They are the ones that alert us whenever the police is around.
“There are equally those who do not sleep because they go from one place to the other in Oshodi to rob. They rob late at night and very early in the morning.
“After the death of my mother, my father abandoned us. He stopped taking care of us leaving us to fend for ourselves.
“Even the school, he stopped paying the monthly N600. I had to resort to packing granite to pay the monthly N600 for school fee.
“At a point, I couldn’t cope with the fee. I was just 12. I dropped out and I decided to run to Lagos. Since then, Oshodi Under Bridge has been my home.
“Any phone I stole, I sell to Mohammed or Kudus. They are beggars in Oshodi. They buy most of the stolen phones from us”, he stated.
However, the stolen phone, a Tecno Y6, was recovered from Ahmed’s brother.
The second suspect, Yusuph Agbaje, 25, from Oyo State, was arrested in Agege for stealing a Blackberry curve from a commuter.
Responding to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Suprintendent Dolapo Badmos, Police would leave no stone unturned in get rid of criminal elements within the state, adding that, parents monitor the activities of their wards.
The suspects have been transferred to the Lagos State Task-force.
The police in Lagos have arrested a 60-year-old man for allegedly duping a young lady of N1.99million.
Hyacinth Nwogu, was apprehended after the victim, Helen Olajide, 28, filed a complaint against him at the station.
The suspect was alleged to have collected the sum in instalments from the victim, a businesswoman, under the guise of supplying her goods.
It was alleged that the suspect and his accomplices picked the lady up at Ikeja and took her to his residence where they first collected her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and swindled her of N150,000.
Narrating her ordeal, the victim said: “I was standing at the bus stop waiting for a cab when their vehicle came close to me and they claimed that they knew me and that they were my customers. They told me they have a business for me and being a businesswoman, I decided to go with them.
“One of them was speaking French and they claimed that they were importers and had a container loaded with computers, clothes, babies wears and other items in the warehouse. I picked interest on some of the items and wrote them down. They made me sign an agreement to pay money that they would go to Customs quarters and clear the goods.
“At the house, they collected my ATM card and went to the bank and withdrew N150,000. The next payment I made was N900,000 cash on August 26, which I gave them at Ikeja. Then, they gave me account number belonging to Chukwuma Eke Linda where I paid the other money. In all, I paid N1.992million. It was after paying that I asked myself what was happening. That I have been paying money into a particular account and I haven’t seen the goods.
“Then, I called them to come and sign an agreement with my lawyer but they switched off their phones and started avoiding me. That was when I knew I have been duped. So, I reported to the police.
“They didn’t show me anything about money and they didn’t tell me they wash money. Why would I fall for that if they told me? Are they Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)? What they told me was that they would supply me with goods.”
But the suspect denied that he promised to supply goods to the victim, insisting that it was about producing fake currency.
According to the father of five, the amount they collected from the young lady was a million naira and it was shared among the four culprits.
He claimed that the vehicle they used in carrying the lady belonged to one of his accomplices, David, now at large, adding that the fake currencies found in his custody were given to him by a friend who retired from the business.
He said: “David brought her to my house and we washed money in her presence. She picked interest in it. After washing N1000 for her, we told her about the need to get the chemicals and she was interested.
“We first collected N700,000 and later N300,000 totalling N1,000,000 and we told her that she would get N5,000,000 in return.
But when she didn’t get the money, nor see the chemical, she started demanding that we refund her money, by which time we had shared the money and the others had fled.
“That was how she went and called the police and I was arrested. She’s the fourth person I have duped. I started the business four years ago after I was duped in the same manner. I was a clearing agent and I lost over N1.2 million in the same manner. I was taken in a vehicle to a place at Iyana Ipaja. I collected N20,000, N30,000 and N70,000 from the other victims.
“What we use as the chemical is coke and vegetable oil. It is not real chemical and I am not the owner of the fake currencies. I took them from a friend who retired from the business and I was doing them. We call the fake notes treasures and it’s what we use to deceive people.
“Everything happened within a week. She visited my house about four times. My share of the money was N333,000. We didn’t use any drug on her. It was a conviction.
We show a client the money claiming it’s treasure. She gave me real money.
“I hid it under a bucket containing detergent. My wife and five children live with me but they don’t know that’s what I do.
I would not be happy if someone dupes any of my children.”
Parading the suspect, the command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP) said the suspect would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations, adding that efforts were on to arrest the fleeing suspects.
At least four persons were Thursday feared killed and three others injured after some trigger-happy Nigerian Customs Service (NIS) operatives went berserk.
The incidents occurred at Moshalashi and Kola Bus Stops at Alagbado and Ajegunle in Alakuko.
It was gathered that the Customs operatives, allegedly attached to the Federal Operations, were chasing some rice smugglers while they suddenly started shooting sporadically in the crowded areas.
The four persons, who were said to have been hit by stray bullets, were commercial motorcyclists.
Among them, The Nation gathered, was a 25-year-old identified as Saheed, whose wife was said to be pregnant.
It was gathered that the operatives who rode on four patrol vehicles, took one of the victims as they fled. They were said to have injured about three other persons who were taken to an undisclosed hospital.
It was gathered that the Customs operatives while fleeing, threatened to shoot policemen from Alakuko Division, who attempted to stop them.
A resident who hinted on the incident said that the officers acted as though they were drunk.
He said: “It was around 7am. I was inside my house and suddenly I started hearing gunshots. I looked through the window to see what was happening and people were running. I saw about four Customs vehicle and the officers were just shooting anyhow.
“Later, I heard they were chasing rice smugglers but all the people they killed were Okada riders. Bullet hit one on the stomach; another person was hit on the leg and another one on the hand. About four people died. Blood was everywhere and the Customs men escaped.”
The Nation gathered that residents of the area soon took to the streets in protest against the operatives. They were said to have vandalised several properties and burnt tyres on the major roads to ground vehicular movements.
Commercial motorcyclists were said to have attempted to raze an Oando gas station, where the Customs officers usually stayed but they were stopped by policemen led by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Commander, Tunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
Efforts to get the Customs’ spokesman, Uche Ejesieme’s reaction on the issue failed at the time of filing this report.
Contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP) said one person was killed.
She said: “Some Custom officials were on the trail of a vehicle, in the process they went berserk and started shooting. One passerby was shot to death around Ajegunle in Alakuko. A patrol team led by the DPO of Alakuko Division, moved to the area to douse the tension.
“They fired sporadically and escaped from the scene. The dead body was evacuated to morgue. Investigation is ongoing.”
There were indications that the kidnappers of four students, a teacher and Junior School Principal of Lagos State Model College, Igbonla in Epe might have contacted the victims’ families.
Unconfirmed reports stated that the gunmen, who stormed the school premises at about 8am on Thursday, reached out to the parents of the children through a private line and demanded an undisclosed amount as ransom.
The Nation gathered that the kidnappers contacted three families at 2:00A.m, 2:50A.m and 4:00A.m, a development that led the parents and school management to convene an emergency meeting, which lasted till about 5:30pm.
The kidnappers, it was learned, warned the parents not to disclose the ransom demanded to security agencies, as failure to adhere would jeopardise the safety of their loved one.
A relative to one of the victims said: “My sister’s phone rang at about 2:50am and a male voice instructed her to leave the place if there was anyone with her. The stranger said he was calling in respect of our kidnapped relative. He warned that none of the conversation should be divulged to security agents.
“He threatened that if the instruction was not adhered to, the family would be held responsible for anything that happens to their relative.
“Yes, they demanded a ransom. But I can not tell you in order not to jeopardize the safety of our relative. But they demanded within the range of millions of naira. My sister pleaded with them to bring down the amount that her husband was at the moment out of job but the stranger did not respond.
“She also asked to speak with our relative with them, but she was not granted. She was told that she would be allowed to do so after the agreement was reached on the payment.”
According to a source, some personal effects of the victims, including a mobile phone which fell off while they were being whisked away have been recovered.
Meanwhile, security agencies on Thursday intensified search and rescue operations around Epe, Ikorodu and Ijebu-Ode, using air, land and water strategies.
It was gathered that the security agencies were also tracking the kidnappers to ascertain their identities and exact location.
Asked why the security forces did not sweep the school, especially areas the gunmen touched for fingerprints, the source said fingerprints cannot be gotten from wooden furniture.
Efforts to get the police command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP) failed at the time of filing this report.
A British national was found dead inside a hotel located in Lekki, Lagos, on Thursday
The man identified as Gibson Mark Damien, 55, was discovered motionless around 12:00am at Churchill Lodge.
Until his death, the man worked with Port to Port Office in Victoria Island.
The spokesperson of the state police command, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP), said the hotel manager, Mrs. Ihuoma Ubani reported that the deceased, who was a guest in the hotel, was found motionless and a doctor from Ave Maria Specialist Hospital in Oniru was contacted to examine him.
“The doctor certified the British man dead and his corpse was thereafter deposited at a morgue for autopsy,” the police spokesperson added.
