Police Arrest Fake Soldier for Abducting Man, Stealing iPhone 13 in Lagos

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have arrested a suspected impostor, Kingsley Wanogho, accused of abducting a man in Ikeja and abandoning him on the Third Mainland Bridge.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Wanogho, a dismissed army sergeant and ex-convict, allegedly stole his victim’s iPhone 13 and sold it for ₦150,000 at Computer Village, Ikeja.

The arrest occurred after the victim, Solomon, recognized Wanogho near Computer Village on January 18 and alerted the police. Investigations revealed that on December 30, 2024, the suspect accused Solomon of bumping into him and causing the loss of a gold ring. Wanogho, posing as an army officer and displaying a fake military ID, demanded compensation, threatening to take the victim to a military barracks in Oshodi.

With the help of an accomplice on a motorcycle, Wanogho transported Solomon under the pretense of heading to a barracks but instead took him to the Third Mainland Bridge, where they stole his iPhone 13 and some cash before abandoning him.

Police recovered a Nigerian Army fez cap and a counterfeit military ID from Wanogho, who was previously arrested for a similar offense in Ikeja last year. The suspect has been transferred to the Commissioner of Police’s Special Squad for further investigation.