Israel Amusu, who claimed to have been recently
offered an admission into a university in the Niger Delta, is now in trouble
for impersonation and armed robbery.
Amusu, 24, was arrested by the police in Lagos
after a motorist complained of robbery to the police at the Elere Police
Division. At the time of his arrest, he was dressed in an Army uniform.
But the suspect denied that he was involved in
robbery. In an interview with CRIME DIGEST, he said that the incident
with the motorist was just an altercation.
“I was in company with my friend, Kevin,
whom I had met previuously at the Toll Gate at Sango Ota. Kevin told me
he was a serving soldier assigned to the National Youth Service Corps
Orientation Camp at Iyana Ipaja. I believed him because he was putting on an
army uniform at the time and on subsequent occasions, some of his colleagues
had confirmed his claim.
“We became good friends after I told him that I
was very much interested in enlisting in the army. I told him that I was
recently admitted into a South-South university and if it was possible for me
to get a degree and still enlist in the army. Kevin gave me the assurrance that
it was possible. He said all I needed was to purchase the forms whenever they
were available. We became good friends after this,” Amusu said.
CRIME DIGEST gathered that in the
evening of Nov. 7 2012, Amusu received a phone call from Kevin requesting a
meeting at the toll gate.
Later, Kevin took Amusu to his brother’s house at
Iyana Ipaja and handed him a set of army uniforms and boots.
“He told me to wear them because he was going to
introduce me to his colleagues at the NYSC camp. He said I would likely find
favour with his colleagues if I was dressed like them. After I bought him a
bottle of wine, we took off for the camp,” Amusu recalled.
But as both men attempted to stop a commercial
motorcycle, a Volkswagen Golf car approached them. Kevin scolded the
driver of the vehicle, possibly because the latter drove too close to the
motorcycle.
A hot exchange ensued as the driver refused to
back down.
“At first it started as a disagreement, but when
the man responded, Kevin became infuriated. Kevin got down from the bike and
walked to the car. He threatened to arrest the driver and it got so bad that
passers by stopped and tried to intervene.
The driver had a friend who came out of the car
and tried to pacify Kevin. While he was doing this, the driver quickly reversed
and drove off, leaving his friend behind.
“Kevin threw the bottle of wine in his hand at
the car and broke the windscreen. He quickly got on the bike and told the
commercial motorcyclist to give a chase, but they returned without the man.
Unknown to us, the man had gone to the police to lodge a complaint,” Amusu
said.
Despite Amusu’s claims, the Lagos State
Commissioner of Police said that the matter revolved around a case of robbery
and impersonation.
He said, “A certain Ebenezer Olamide with car
registration number FH 135 APP lodged a complaint at the Elere Police Division
on Nov. 7. He said that at about 19 hours that same day, Kevin and Amusu had
accosted him at Ijokoro Street and robbed him of his cell -phone and N4,000.
Olamide claimed that the duo had also attempted to steal his car but abandoned
the idea when Olamide raised the alarm.
“Although Kevin successfully escaped, Amusu was
apprehended and taken to the police station. From investigations so far, Kevin
is not a serving soldier with the Nigerian Army and has no affiliations with
the NYSC camp at Iyana Ipaja.
“A team went to Kevin’s home, where Amusu claimed
to have been given his uniform. However, nothing incriminating was found at the
scene. The case has been transferred to SARS and efforts are being made to
track down and arrest Kevin.”
Punch
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