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| IGP, Ibrahim Idris |
The police in Lagos State have begun a manhunt
for a Pastor simply identified as Oni, who allegedly posed as a policeman in
order to extort members of the public.
The pastor was also alleged of operating an
illegal group named Police Assistance Committee of Nigeria (PAC), with which he
had deceived unsuspected members of the public, claiming that it was an arm of
the Nigerian Police Force.
It was gathered that two members of PAC, Mrs.
Jumoke Mutairu and Mr. Johnson Uzoma, were arrested on Tuesday last week at
Bishop Street, Off Agege Motor Road by policemen from Alakara Police Station.
According to the suspects, the fake academy
had been in operation for over 15 years and operated around Itire, Ijeshatedo
and Oshodi axis.
The suspects, revealing the syndicate modus
operandi, said that they used to go from door to door, telling people that they
were working with the police to gather information on security issue.
They would then ask potential victims to
register with them. The syndicate usually collects between N1, 500.000 and N200,
000 for registration fee.
After the arrest of Mutairu and Uzoma, police
mounted surveillance at the residence and church premises of Oni, the leader
of the agency. They started monitoring his movement after they discovered that
he had gone into hiding. But till now, the pastor is still at large.
The syndicate was accused of kitting victims with
trousers and black T-shirts with police insignia.
The suspects were arrested following outcry of
some members of the public, who had fallen victims to them.
Responding to the outcry, a team of policemen
swing into action and some people, wearing black T-shirts, black beret with
police insignia were arrested. Police recovered N4, 300.000 from them, which
they had allegedly extorted from members of the public.
The suspects were said to have confessed to
the crime, stressing that their daily returns were usually given to their
boss, Pastor Chief Oni.
A police source: “This pastor Oni, who is
still at large, is the one recruiting victims. He is also the person providing
them with uniforms, identity cards. These victims also have to pay recruitment
fee and charges.”
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) CSP Chike Oti said, the police were
still investigating the matter.
He added: "We’re still investigating the
case. We would make our findings known to the public."
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