Fake soldier apprehended in Ebonyi

25-year-old Moris Mbam, who has been parading himself as a solider of the Nigerian Army in Ebonyi state and beyond has been apprehended by the police in the state.

Parading the suspect before newsmen, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Muhammed Mustafa, said Mbam who hails from Izzi local government area, was nabbed by police operatives attached to the Central Police Station, Abakaliki, at a commercial bank in Enugu, while attempting to withdraw proceeds of his illegal exploits.

According to the police boss, the suspect was notorious in the state for using his fake Army uniform to extort money and goods of people and traders in the state. On December 25th last year, Mbam had used the same tactics to extort occupants of a building in Abakalili. the state capital, He collected N40, 000 and a Tecno phone from them after they holding them hostage for 2 hours.

“He has been taking people hostage and as he went about intimidating people and claiming that he was a soldier, the police got wind of his activities and our men swung into action and got him arrested. And before his arrest, he had been on our wanted list and he was arrested on January 11, 2019. He had for long been parading himself as a soldier before the operatives of the Nigeria Police from the ‘A’ Division (i.e. Central Police Station Abakaliki) arrested him.” Mutafa said

When interrogated, the suspect confessed to the crime. 

“I’m from the Okpuitim community in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. I’m not a soldier. I was parading myself as a soldier because I sold phone to somebody last year worth N10,000, but the man gave me N7,000. So, when I came back in November last year from the city, I asked him to pay the balance of N3,000 and he refused. I met his landlord and told him to tell the man that I am a soldier that he should pay me my money or I would take action. I did that so that the man would pay me the N3,000. I have never used a soldier camouflage; I only said that I was a soldier in order to make the man pay my money fast. I’m an engineer.” he said

The police boss said he would be arraigned in court soon.