Personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Beecroft , Apapa,
Lagos has arrested a 30-year-old deaf and dumb man and six others for
impersonation, robbery and theft.
This is just as the Nigerian Navy declared that it was
beaming its searchlight on activities of some individuals who hide under the
cover of Merchant Navy to arm some Nigerians, threatening to close down such
outfits and effect proprietors’ arrest.
Recovered from the nabbed suspects, were fake Navy identity
cards and an anchor allegedly stolen from an arrested ship kept under the watch
of a naval personnel at the Atlas Cove.
Briefing journalists on the arrest, shortly before handing
the suspects to the Police, yesterday, the Commander, NNS Beecroft, Commodore
Emmanuel Uwadaie, explained that two of the suspects identified as Shadrack
Esiobi and Victor Otu, were arrested at Cele bus-stop on Oshodi/Apapa
expressway and Badagry respectively,masquerading as naval personnel.
He said the trio of Uzoma Osigwe, Tochukwu Atuegbu and Okey
Sunday, allegedly aided the theft and purchase of an anchor stolen from an
arrested ship.
He said: “Tosin Joseph and one Kurrma, said to be deaf and
dumb, attacked a naval personnel who was on motorbike at Tego barracks on July
1, 2014 and took his motorbike. The personnel called for reinforcement at the
end of which the suspects were arrested.
“Atuegbu and Sunday stole an anchor from a ship that is
under naval custody. They were able to find their way there and tried to
influence the personnel in-charge of the security of the vessel to get them the
anchor and in the process they were arrested.
“This emphasizes the need for the Nigerian Navy’s image to
be maintained and to ensure that miscreants do not use our name to commit
offence. We want to use this medium to also warn on this issue of
impersonation.
“Although there are legitimate Merchant Navy which have
their uniforms different from those of the Navy, there are some fake ones who
are not in any way Merchant Navy officers and put on uniforms identical to
those of the Nigerian Navy and they are always involved in one crime or
another.”
I printed identity card for self-defence
One of the suspected impostors, Shadrack Esiobi, 40, was
reportedly ill when arrested. The treatment, as gathered, was carried out on
the instruction of the Chief of the Naval Staff .
Esiobi told Vanguard: “I was down with hernia when I
was arrested in May. But the authorities of Nigerian Navy treated it by
performing surgery on me.
“I printed the identity card for self-defence. I am a casual
worker and I used the identity card so as to avoid being molested or harassed.”
On his part, Victor Otu, 32, said: “I used the identity card
to terrorise some thugs who usually come to drink at my bar without paying.
“Anytime they come, they would beat up my sales boys and
would refuse to pay. In order to scare them, I printed the identity card and it
did magic because anytime I brandished it, they would behave themselves.
Unfortunately, I brandished it on a day a naval personnel came and when he saw
it, he insisted it was fake and brought me here.”
When Vanguard approached another suspect later
identified simply as Kurrma, he tried to express himself through signs.
Curious, Vanguard asked for his name only to be told he was deaf and
dumb.
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