The Lagos State Police Command has smashed a syndicate which members had been parading themselves as the Presidential Policing Marshal Task Force from the office of the National Security Adviser, (NSA), Vanguard Newspaper reports.
The arrested members were alleged to have hijacked and diverted two containers loaded with goods, in one of the warehouses in Lagos.
Their modus operandi included tracking goods from the Apapa ports to warehouses, with an impression to inspect them, under the cover of the presidential task force.
However, luck ran against them when policemen at the Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa, accosted them with the two containers they allegedly hijacked and diverted. Upon interrogation, they claimed they got an instruction from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA to carry out the action.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, disclosed that they were discovered not to have any connection with the office of the NSA, during interrogation.
Parading them before journalists yesterday, Odumosu, said, “the office of the National Security Adviser has debunked the claims, stressing that it didn’t know the suspects, neither had it any relationship with them.
“Two containers and one branded Toyota Hilux with registration number KRD 990 AP, with the inscription “PRESIDENTIAL POLICING MARSHAL, IMAN SPECIAL TASKFORCE’’ was recovered from the suspects identified as Chijoke Okoro, Chijoke Joseph, Gideon Ijachi, Daniel Abraham, Nsika Eket, Stanley Akparakwu, Augustine Dosu, Solomon Emeka and Benjamin Steve.”
However, the suspects maintained that they were genuine and not fake as claimed.
One of them, Chijioke, “ I am a member of the Importers Association of Nigeria special task force. It was inaugurated and given the approval of the Federal Government of Nigeria, to checkmate activities of importers and we follow due process. We get signals from the Inspector General of Police. With the signal, Police give us the security to operate.”
“ Our main function is checkmating importers activities, taxation, fake products, importation of arms and ammunition. We have informants that give us information.”
