A 35-year-old man, Friday Michael, who has been parading himself as a policeman to allegedly defraud people has been arrested in Lagos State.

Michael was arrested at the Police College in Ikeja wearing police uniform.
He had allegedly gone there to collect money from his victim, one Comfort Anthony.

Michael had earlier allegedly defrauded Comfort of N350,000 under the pretext of tracking and arresting a wanted housemaid identified as Victoria who attempted to kidnap her boss’s child for ransom.

After collecting the initial money, he did not arrest Victoria as he promised. Rather, he requested for another N500,000.

The alleged fraud was reported to the police at Shasha Division and with arrangement with the police, Comfort asked Michael to arrange where he would collect the additional money he requested.
Michael asked her to come to the Police College where he was currently posted.

On the day they agreed, Michael allegedly wore police uniform and waited for Comfort inside the college to collect the money.

Unknown to him, Comfort had arranged with the police who laid ambush for him. After she handed him the envelope containing the money, he was immediately arrested and taken to the station.
At the station, Michael allegedly confessed that he was not a policeman, saying he used the uniform to extort money from people.

The police charged him to court for stealing and impersonation under the Criminal Code.
When he was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Babaji Ishaku, objected to his bail and informed the court that Michael had been regularly posing as a policeman by wearing the uniform to defraud people in Lagos.

He said Michael had been unrepentant and if he was released on bail, he would go back to commit the same crime.
Michael’s counsel, Mr Awah Ikere, informed the court that the alleged offence Michael committed was a bailable one and as such, the court should use its discretion to grant him bail.

The Magistrate, Mrs J.O.E. Adeyemi, denied Michael bail and asked his counsel to write a statement explaining why Michael should be granted bail.

She adjourned the matter till September 9 when Ikere is expected to present a written address for consideration of granting him bail.

Michael was thereafter remanded in prison custody at Kirikiri.

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