fake corporal, murder suspects were arrested by police in Abia State

The Abia State Police Command has arrested a middle-aged man for allegedly impersonating as a police corporal.

Parading the suspect before journalists in Umuahia, Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim, said the Cross River- Okoi Eyon, was arrested on June 7, 2014 along Aba/Ikot Ekpene Road

“impersonating as police corporal in order to avoid police search”.

He said investigations later revealed that the 27-year-old alleged impersonator had earlier been dismissed from police college Nonwa in 2007 while undergoing recruitment training.

According to him, the impersonator confessed to have procured a fake police identity card from a cybercafe sometime in April 2014 , which he had been using to avert payment of environmental fees, sanitation levies and shop licence.

The CP said the suspect would soon be arraigned in court for criminal impersonation of police officers.

Later in an interview, the gloomy and pale-looking suspect murmured that he only resorted to the act as a result of frustration, pleading for forgiveness.

The police also paraded one Emeka Ikpo, 21, from Ndi Okpo Ihechiowa in Arochukwu Local Government Area of the state, for allegedly killing a commercial motorcycle operator, Ndubuisi Eni, and dispossessing him of his bike.

According to the police, the suspect had confessed that he hired the services of the deceased to convey him from Ohafia to his (suspect’s) village, but midway into the journey, he forced the okada rider to divert to a path leading to a farm plantation where he brandished an axe he concealed under his shirt which he used to butcher the hapless man to death.

The family of the deceased raised the alarm when their bread winner did not return home after the day’s labour.

A search party was organised by the villagers, who were shocked to find the decomposing body of the late 28-year-old Eni in a bush at Igboro Ukwu Akanu Ohafia days after.

The bewildered villagers later alerted the police about the crime following which detectives were dispatched to trail the perpetrators of the cruel act.

Acting on a tip off, “one Emeka Ikpo, who does not have any reasonable means of livelihood, was seen with a new unregistered motorcycle, which was reasonably suspected to have been stolen.”

The suspect was arrested.

Two other accomplices -Okoronkwo Onyeka, and Sunday Udoka – all of same community, were also arrested in connection with the crime.