The police in Nasarawa State have arrested three men for allegedly possessing a forged identity card bearing the name of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and recovered an unregistered Lexus IS 250 in Lafia.
The suspects were intercepted by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit during a routine patrol around Bukan Sidi in the state capital while travelling in the vehicle without a registration number.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Rahman Nansel, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement, identifying the suspects as Mohammed Umar, Mohammed Nuhu and Ibrahim Suleiman.
Nansel said Nuhu claimed to be an ICPC officer when the operatives stopped the vehicle and presented an identity card purportedly issued by the anti-corruption agency.
According to the police, the officers subsequently questioned Umar, who was driving the vehicle, about its ownership but he reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.
The development prompted the operatives to arrest all three occupants and take them into custody for further investigation.
The command said preliminary findings indicated that the identity card presented by Nuhu was forged.
During questioning, Nuhu reportedly told investigators that he had accompanied Umar from Kaduna State to Lafia because the driver did not possess a valid driver’s licence.
The police added that profiling of the suspects allegedly linked Suleiman to an unlawful group identified as the Eiye Confraternity.
However, the command did not provide further details about the alleged affiliation or disclose whether the suspects had been linked to other criminal activities.
The three men remain in police custody as investigations continue. The command said they would be charged before a court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Police are also working to establish the ownership of the recovered Lexus and determine whether other offences were connected to the incident.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Shetima Jauro Mohamed, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to proactive policing and intelligence-led operations to tackle criminal activities.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could help prevent and detect crime.
West Trybe reports that the arrests highlight the police command’s investigation into the alleged misuse of an identity card bearing the name of a federal anti-corruption agency, while inquiries continue into the vehicle’s ownership and the suspects’ possible involvement in other offences.
