Photo: Dismissed Inspector caught parading as DSP

A dismissed Inspector of Police, Afoke Adetolani, 58, who paraded himself as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), has been apprehended by operatives attached to the X-Squad team of the Lagos State Police Command.

It was gathered that Adetolani who was serving with the Traffic Division of the Force for extortion, somehow procured the uniforms of a more senior officer and has been using same to intimidate and extort money from unsuspecting members of the public until the long arm of the law caught up with him on November, 25, 2015.

The suspect was arrested by the X-Squad team while was on patrol along Oshodi when the supposed ‘DSP’ was driving a Volkswagen commercial bus, marked KSF-662-XC, filled with building and electrical materials, claiming they belonged to his sister.

In his confession, the fake 'DSP' said:

“I started using the uniform this year. I used it to protect myself against officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA). They used to threaten bus drivers with arrest.

To avoid been arrested by them, I decided to dress as a policeman to facilitate the movement of goods. I didn’t have the uniform of a policeman, but one of my friends, a policeman decided to help me.

I told the policeman, who is now dead, to help me get the uniform, putting my name on it. He collected N15,000 from me.  After that, I began to use it. I would put it on whenever I wanted to drive.

But on the day I was arrested, I didn’t wear it. I was driving the commercial bus to Oshodi. I wanted to go and deliver some electrical and building materials to my sister’s customers.

The policemen who were on patrol, flagged me down. They searched the bus and found the uniform hanging inside.

I was immediately arrested even though I wasn’t wearing the uniform. I had my Identity card with me. The card was given to me by the same police friend that gave me the uniform. I flashed the ID card at them, but they still arrested me.

I was once an Inspector of Police in the year 1984. I was dismissed after a small boy lied against me about a missing vehicle. I now drive a commercial bus to make ends meet. I wear the DSP uniform just to protect myself from LASTMA harassment.”