SARS arrests fake policeman posing as SPY recruitment agent

…I paid N300,000 to be recruited as SPY Police- Victim

A 45-year-old man who has been as a policeman and a recruitment agent for Supernumerary Police, SPY has been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad SARS of the Lagos State Police Command.

The suspect, Mike Okojokwu, who was clad in full police uniform, had allegedly extorted money from gullible Nigerians who were desperate to be get employed as SPY. One of his victims, Ochim James, alleged that he paid the suspect N300,000 , to get a job as a SPY.

Another victim with an undisclosed identity was said to have given the suspect part payment of N84,000 , with a promise to pay a balance of N216,000. The bubble however burst after James waited patiently without receiving any appointment letter. He became suspicious when he could not reach the suspect on the phone to know the reason for the delay, as the phone was switched off.

Drama

A mild drama then played out at Egbeda area of Lagos on August 1, 2019, when James ran into the suspect. He immediately held him and alerted security agents.

Ochim in this interview, expressed shock that the suspect was neither a policeman nor a SPY police, as he initially claimed.

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He said, “I am a business man, I sell shoes and at the same time was searching for a job to boost my income. I met a friend, Precious Ebiale, who introduced me to Mike. She said he could assist me get a job as SPY Police .

“I met Mike in November 2018 and he told me he was in charge of recruitment and posting and that he could post me to any oil company of my choice if I was enlisted as SPY. He said that recruitment and posting into any oil company was N300,000. I deposited N50,00 that day and paid the balance in installments.

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“Later, he came with complete police uniform , that they were mine. But I refused to collect it and asked if it was proper to get the uniform without prior training. Again, he called me on the phone to meet him at the Central store at the Police College, Ikeja. When I got there, he told one of the staff there to take my measurement. Without suspecting any sinister motive, I introduced a friend to him who was also interested. He paid N84,000, with a promise to pay the balance”.

Disappearance

James said that the last conversation he had with the suspect was on June 26, 2019, where he was assured that he would receive a call from the Force headquarters, Abuja, soon, after which he would get appointment letter. Continuing, he said: “But that was never to be as he stopped picking my calls. He also packed out of Ayobo and moved to Mowe, making it difficult for me to see him. On July 30, 2019, I got a call from a lady who said she was calling from the Force headquarters. She requested for my Force number, which she said she needed to post me to an oil company. I was still waiting for the posting when I ran into him at Egbeda”.

Falsehood

During interrogation, the suspect, insisted he was a SPY Policeman. However, when the Officer in-charge of the unit was brought before him, he claimed not to know her. During preliminary investigation, it was discovered that he was neither a policeman nor a SPY as claimed.

Asked where he got the uniform he was putting on, he replied, “This uniform (police uniform ) was already sewn and given to me as a SPY. I was on my way to return it because they have changed our uniform, when I was arrested.” It was however discovered that the uniform of SPY police had long been changed from the one similar to the conventional police, before the date he mentioned.

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When he was asked where he served, he responded, “I work under Supo Bala Mohammed, as SPY at the Ikeja GRA Federal Police. He is the Chief Security Officer of Trident Nigeria Limited. I gave him the money James paid for recruitment into SPY. But Supo Bala Mohammed is dead. He died in an accident. I promise to refund the money to James”, he said. A military camouflage was also recovered from him. When asked where he got it from, he claimed to have bought it at Ojuelegba bridge.

The suspect as gathered, would be charged to court.