The Ogun State Police Command says its Special Weapons and Tactics Unit has rescued a man who was posing as a soldier after he was nearly lynched by a mob in the Olomore area of Abeokuta.
The command explained that the Cyber Centre picked up a distress alert indicating that a crowd had surrounded a man dressed in full military camouflage and was preparing to attack him.
SWAT operatives quickly moved to the scene, causing the mob to disperse and making it possible to remove the suspect safely.
Investigations revealed that the man, identified as 31-year-old Robinson Godday, had allegedly snatched two mobile phones from a resident.
Youths in the area chased him down, overpowered him, and assaulted him before police arrived. The stolen phones were recovered and returned to their owner.
During questioning, the suspect reportedly admitted he was not a soldier and confessed to stealing the military uniform from a serviceman at the Ojo Military Barracks in Lagos, who is currently deployed to the North-East.
The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered intensified security operations in the Olomore area to prevent similar incidents.
He also frowned at the mob action and urged residents to hand over suspects to law enforcement rather than taking matters into their own hands.
The suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.
