Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, in Anambra state has arrested one Patrick Thomas for claiming to be an officer of NSCDC in possession of firearm.
The state Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Ben Dikuro, disclosed this in Awka yesterday while briefing newsmen on the activities of the command.
Dikuro said that the suspect, who hails from a neighboring state, was arrested at Bridge Head Onitsha on July 13 with a point 25 calibre pistol.
He explained that the suspect was arrested while parading himself as an officer to extort unsuspecting members of the public.
According to him, “We have observed with dismay the situation where hoodlums disguise in security uniforms to perpetrate their nefarious acts.
“In this instance, he has never been a Civil Defense officer neither does he look like one.”
Dikuro advised members of the public to always report suspicious people around them to the nearest security station or dial emergency number 112 to make such report.
Fielding questions from newsmen, Thomas said that he had been in possession of the uniform for over one year but insisted that he had neither killed nor belong to any gang.
In a related development, Dikuro said that the command had arrested one Calistus Nnebife, 38 and his commercial driver accomplice, Emeka Ezeife, 40, with 26 gallons of adulterated diesel.
He said that the suspects were arrested at Amansea near Awka on July 8 on their way to supply the products to unsuspecting rice and garri processing mill industries around Awka.
However, he stated that Nnebife was also dealing on the petroleum products without operational license.
In an interview, Ezeife claimed that he was not aware of the content of the products insisting that his job was simply to convey the man and his goods to agreed locations for supply.
On his part, Nnebife said he normally bought the products from filling stations but was compelled to buy at a black market when he discovered that the filling stations around did not have the product.
“I did not know that someone trading on little quantity like this needed to obtain a license,” Nnebife, a university graduate of environmental sciences stated.
