►A 30-year-old deaf and dumb man and six others have been arrested by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Beecroft , Apapa, Lagos, 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.
►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 Chat212: “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 Chat212 approached another suspect later identified simply as Kurrma, he tried to express himself through signs. Curious, Chat212 asked for his name only to be told he was deaf and dumb.
