Eddiong Anthony Matthew, a 35-year-old ex-convict, has landed in the police net for parading himself as a soldier.
Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command arrested Matthew, whom they alleged have been disguising as a warrant officer of the Nigerian Army.
Disclosing this development via a statement, Akwa Ibom command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Timfon John said that the suspect was arrested on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at about 2 pm in a half-dressed military camouflage.
John stated that a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect who hails from Mkpat-Enin Local Government Area of the state had been perpetrating a series of crimes in the state in military uniform.
“The Akwa Ibom State Police Command, in its intensified effort to rid the state of criminal elements, has arrested an ex-convict.
“On 05/06/2024 at about 2 pm, police operatives of the command on crime prevention patrol arrested one Eddiong Anthony Matthew, a 35-year-old indigene of Ikot Ekong Village in Mkpat Enin LGA in a half-dress military camouflage.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is an ex-convict who had been perpetrating a series of crimes in the state in military uniform with a warrant officer rank.
“One walkie-talkie, phones suspected to have been stolen from his victims, a brown coverall dress, and an RCC ID Card were recovered,” the statement read.
The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, had reaffirmed the command’s commitment and dedication to crime prevention in the state, adding that the suspect would be charged in court on completion of the investigation.