Man arraigned for ‘impersonating military officer’ in Lagos

The Lagos police command has arraigned one Samuel Adeleke before an Ojo magistrate court for allegedly impersonating a military officer.

Twenty-seven-year-old Adeleke pleaded not guilty to the two counts of impersonation brought against him.

Testifying against Adeleke, Esther Adesulu, a police inspector, told the court that the defendant committed the offences at the Illogbo area of Ojo LGA, on June 22.

She said the defendant wore military camouflage and paraded himself as an officer.

The police prosecutor added that Adeleke acted in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace.

Adesulu said the offences contravened sections 77 and 168 of the criminal law of Lagos state, 2015.

After the testimony, D S Odukoya, the court’s magistrate, granted Adeleke bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case until August 10 for trial. 

Meanwhile, in 2022, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) warned civilians, including politicians to stop wearing military uniforms for campaign purposes. 

MeWap Maigida, an air commodore and acting director of information at DHQ, cited the provisions of the constitution on the matter, noting that anyone found culpable is liable for prosecution.

“Section 251 of the constitution states that ‘any person who, not being a person serving in any of the armed or police forces of Nigeria, wears the uniform of any of these forces, or any dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or other distinc­tive marks of any such uniform, in such manner or in such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt on that uniform, or employs any other person so to wear such uniform or dress, is guilty of a simple offence, and is liable to imprisonment for three months or to a fine of forty nairas,” he said.