The determination of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major General Enobong Okon Udoh to ensure that every criminal gang within its Area of Responsibility are kept at bay was reenforced on Thursday as 12 impostors, 11 “Aiye”cult members and 19 vandals were paraded to journalists at 174 Battalion, Odogunyan Barracks Ikorodu Lagos.
The arrest of the suspects were made possible after a combined team of troops of 81 Division Nigerian Army, had on the 16th May, 2018, swooped on the vandals, in conjunction with Department of State Security, Inspector General of Police Task Force Team, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Commission and Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps at Magboro in Ogun State along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.
It was gathered that the force had relied on credible “information received from some well-meaning Nigerians during Anti-illegal Bunkering and Anti-Pipeline Vandalism patrol after they had broken petroleum pipelines and stole refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and filled hundreds of Jerri cans which they disposed to their marketing outlets in several trucks, trailers, buses, cars and vans.
In a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Lt Col Olaolu Daudu explained that when the vandals sighted the troops, they shot at them sporadically before the criminals later abandoned their vehicles loaded with the refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and some empty jerry cans and fled to avoid being arrested.
The GOC didn’t grant an interview, but the statement further revealed that “In the process, the troops arrested 12 suspected vandals during a “Cordon and Search Operation” conducted around the vicinity.
“A total of 24 vehicles comprising of three long-trailer trucks, nine buses, eight Space Wagons, one Hilux van, three Salon cars and four motorcycles abandoned by the vandals were recovered.
“Other items recovered include 166 50-litre Jerry cans loaded with refined PMS, 130 empty 50-litres jerry cans, appropriately 8,300 litres of refined PMS.”
It was learnt that during the recovering process, one of the vehicles caught fire and was completely razed.
Similarly, it was gathered that troops of 81 Division also raided another point where suspected vandals were sabotaging Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline at Akute after they had concealed their vehicles with refined oil products and fled on sighting the troops.
Five vandals were said to have been arrested while nine vehicles, comprising six buses, two heavy-storage trucks and one Sports Utility Vehicle, one motorcycle, seven mobile phones, 371 50-litre and 42 25-five litre jerry cans loaded with refined Premium Motor Spirit, 106 empty 50-jerry cans, a hose of about 500 metres in length used for siphoning products with approximately 19,600 litres of stolen PMS were recovered.
One of the imposters, a 38-year-old Grace Ayeni, a private security guard, revealed how she got herself involved impersonating men of the Nigerian Army. She explained that her financial predicament compelled her to wear military combat face-cap to enable her have a bus free ride across Lagos.
The Sabongida Ora, Edo state born mother of one admitted that she stole the cap from her former boy friend, a soldier now serving in Maiduguri, with whom she had a baby girl out of wedlock.
“I am paid N20,000 in my place of work which was barely enough to feed myself not to talk of my baby. I wore the cap to enable me have free bus ride. I wear it anytime I don’t have transport money. I was going to my friend’s place to collect money to enable me treat my daughter who took ill.
“I work at Rescue and Guard security. I was arrested at Agbara area of Ojo inside a vehicle by some military personnel. They asked me if I was a soldier and I told them yes thinking they would let me go but they requested to see my identity card.
“The salary I am receiving is not enough to take care of my baby girl. Sometimes, in a month, I spend as much as N10,000 for transport. The uniform enabled me to have a free ride. I receive N20,000 and every month, my boss collect N5,000 from the salary.
“My boyfriend is called Emmanuel Ibrahim from Bayelsa state. I feel bad where I have found myself and sobered that I am in this condition.
It gathered that the authorities of 81 Division has warmed any person nursing any sinister intention to impersonate the military to desist from it as they would use “Operation Checkmate” to flush them out.
“Most of them are not soldiers. We have kept our soldiers in the barracks and have sent out clandestine “Operation Checkmate.” They are not soldiers, they are criminals.
“What they are doing borders on National Security and economic sabotage. Our uniforms are restricted to those who have been trained to legally use it, it was further gathered.