Operatives of Lagos State Command’s Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have apprehended a man, Kingsley Wanogho, who is suspected of impersonating an army officer. He was arrested for abducting a young man in Ikeja and later abandoning him on the Third Mainland Bridge.
The RRS issued a statement on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, revealing that the suspect stole the victim’s iPhone 13, which he later sold for N150,000 in Ikeja’s Computer Village. According to the statement, “The suspect, Kingsley Wanogho, 42, a dismissed army sergeant and ex-convict, was arrested at Ikeja Underbridge by police operatives after being spotted by one of his victims around Computer Village, Ikeja on Saturday.”
Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident occurred on December 30, 2024, when Wanogho accused his victim of bumping into him. He claimed that in the process, he had lost a gold ring and demanded that the victim produce it. Wanogho then introduced himself as an army officer, presenting a fake identification card. He allegedly told the victim, Solomon, that unless the ring was produced, he would take him to the army barracks in Oshodi.
At this point, investigations reveal that Wanogho summoned an accomplice on a motorcycle, and the two abducted Solomon under the pretext of taking him to the Army Cantonment. Instead of heading to the barracks, they drove the victim to the Third Mainland Bridge, where they robbed him of his iPhone 13 and money before abandoning him.
Further inquiries showed that Wanogho sold the stolen iPhone 13 for N150,000 in Computer Village, Ikeja. Additionally, it was revealed that Wanogho had been arrested previously in Ikeja and imprisoned for committing a similar crime.
Among the items recovered from the suspect were a Nigerian Army fez cap and a fake Nigerian Army identity card. The suspect has since been transferred to the Commissioner of Police’s Special Squad for further investigation.
The case highlights concerns about impersonation and criminal activities in Ikeja, as well as the ongoing efforts by the RRS to tackle such crimes.
