Patience Ogbo
Samuel Johnson, 22, who was arrested by the police for allegedly impersonating a soldier blamed the act on poverty.
Johnson is a graduate of Graphic Arts from the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos.
The police arrested him on September 17, 2012, wearing military uniform with the rank of Lance Corporal, which he accorded himself.
It was gathered that he was initially arrested by soldiers over suspicion that he was impersonating and handed over to the police after he claimed he was attached to the Ojo Cantonment, Lagos.
However, before Johnson was arrested, he had made brisk cash from selling security gadgets to security personnel.
He said: “I went into selling security gadgets because I discovered that with the insecurity in Nigeria, people want to protect themselves.
“So after leaving school, I went into practicing graphic arts but it was not lucrative.
“I thought that if I start claiming to be a soldier, people will respect me as in this country you need to be respected before you can get any thing.”
Johnson said he got his uniform from his military friends and from the market.
The police recovered three police walkie talkies, 10 pairs of military uniforms, four pairs of military boots and six military belts with different identity cards.
The Commissioner of Police for the command, Umar Manko, stated that Johnson’s arrest reveals how criminals impersonate security operatives for their selfish ends.
Manko said: “I have always said that most of these crimes are sometimes not committed by genuine officers. Sometimes, you will see somebody in complete uniform in action. The suspect has never gone for military training and yet he carries out operations.”
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