Fake police officer says he makes N10k every two hours from extortion
A criminal who has been impersonating a police officer and extorting money from motorists say he makes N10k within two hours.
Austin Okwokei, a 33-year-old man indigene of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, who was arrested by the State Police Command for impersonation, confessed to police operatives that he has been extorting money from motorists in the state for many months and has been living off the proceeds of his crime, until he was nabbed by policemen attached to the Command’s Monitoring Team at the Costain Roundabout, Iponri area of the state.
Okwokei confessed that he started extorting motorists in the state last year, after arriving from Edo State, where he had his family.
He was arrested after complaints were made at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, of his activities, and was arrested spotting a police shirt which he said he bought in Edo State.
Hear him:
“I am a married man and I came to Lagos in 2015. When I was in Edo State, I bought the police shirt. I came to Lagos and started using it to make money by extorting money from motorists.
Anytime I am on the road, I make an average of N10,000 within two hours. I actually wanted to be a policeman, but when I failed, I started doing this. I am also a commercial bus driver.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest of the suspect, saying the Command has been getting a lot of complaints from motorists and residents in the area concerning the activities of the suspect.
“We had received a series of complaints from motorists and people living in that area that he had been extorting money from them. The Commissioner of Police’s Monitoring Unit was sent to the area to investigate and he was arrested in the process.
He owned up to the crime and said he had been doing it since he came to Lagos last year. We have declared war on people denting the image of the police and we will make more arrests in the coming days.
The command hereby appeals to members of the public to be vigilant and not part with their hard-earned money to anyone who claims to be a policeman or wears police uniform as the leadership of the Force abhors all forms of corruption,” Badmos added.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng