Fake soldier escapes lynching for stealing phone

An angry mob on Monday almost lynched a 21-year-old man, who impersonated an army officer, for robbing a woman of iPhone 7 Plus along Deco Road, in the Okumagba Avenue area of Warri, Delta State.

The fake army officer, who was identified as Usman Jafar, from Adamawa State ran out of luck when the woman he had robbed recognised him the following day when he visited a mobile phones market, otherwise called Robinson Plaza, to wipe off the information on the mobile phone.

The incident, which occurred around 9.20am, left Jafar with severe injuries in his face and other parts of his body as a result of stoning and stabbing.

Our correspondent gathered that the fake military man initially escaped from the mob.

“But the mob gave him a hot chase from the point of the incident until he was caught near the home of Major General David Ejoor, an ex-Chief of Army Staff. The mob descended on him again and beat him to a pulp,” a witness, who declined to give his name, added.

It was learnt that some of the attackers harmed the suspect with dagger and knives and were determined to kill him before soldiers attached to the General, as well as police operatives, came to his rescue and dispersed the crowd.

“A few minutes later, a military van from 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Effurun, in the Uvwie Local Government Area of the state came and whisked the suspect away to their barracks for interrogation.

Military sources told our correspondent that the suspect was discovered to be an impersonator during interrogation.

The Commanding Officer of 3 Battalion, Major Ahmed Abdulkadir, confirmed to our correspondent that the suspect was an impersonator.

When asked what would be the fate of the suspect, Abdulkadir said the army would deal with the suspect in line with its rules of engagement.