I used Police uniform to smuggle cars from Benin Republic, says Fake ACP

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a fake Assistant Commissioner of Police, Alexander Ilesanmi, for parading himself as a police officer and for receiving stolen vehicles from a robbery suspect.

Ilesanmi, who hails from Akure, Ondo State, was nabbed by men of the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad at his residence on Okegbale Street, Ijoko, Ogun State.

It was further gathered that a robbery suspect, who had earlier been arrested, Gabriel Asaolu, identified him (Ilesanmi) as one of his patrons. Asaolu had been arrested by SARS operatives for allegedly snatching exotic cars in different parts of the state.

The police said Ilesanmi had bought two stolen cars ? a Mitsubishi Montero and a Toyota Avalon ? from the suspect before he was arrested.

It was learnt that after the operatives searched Ilesanmi’s residence, they recovered the insignia of a Deputy Superintendent of Police, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and two photographs of the suspect in DSP and ACP uniforms.

The police also recovered an unregistered jeep, which was believed to have been sold to him by another suspect.

Forty-six-year-old Ilesanmi, said he got the DSP and ACP insignia from a friend, whom he identified simply as Segun.

Ilesanmi told our correspondent that he used his fake police identity to smuggle in vehicles from Cotonou, Benin Republic. He added that with his ACP uniform, he always escaped being stopped or searched by security operatives.

He said, “I used to deal in cars. I usually travel to the Benin Republic to get vehicles. I would hang the ACP uniform on the backseat of my vehicle so that customs officials would not disturb me. With this trick, I smuggled in about six cars between 2011 and 2014.

“At checkpoints, the police and other security agencies would simply salute me, and let my vehicle go. I did not usually pay duties at the entry point. I sold the vehicles for prices ranging from N1.1m to N1.5m. I got the DSP and ACP uniforms from a friend named Segun. Till now, I don’t know where he got them from.”

When asked how he met Asaolu, Ilesanmi replied, “I knew Gabriel (Asaolu) as a pastor in a church at the Oke Aro area in Ogun State. He told me he was also a car dealer, and that he could supply vehicles to me at cheaper prices. I had gone to the church for a revival. He also said he was an Ondo State indigene. Later, we went into car-selling deals. I never knew he was an armed robbery suspect.

“In August 2011, he called me that he wanted to sell some cars, but he sold only the Toyota Avalon to me. I bought it from him for N750,000. I was using the car. I did not sell it.

“Apart from smuggling, I also used the police uniform to attract consultancy jobs from companies in Lagos which sent their officials to me for training. I trained some security guards for many companies. I regret being a fake policeman, but it is just unfortunate.”