The army, on Tuesday, confirmed the arrest of some persons suspected to be bandits, who have infiltrated Lagos State.
The suspects, who were clad in military camouflage and other accoutrements, were reportedly arrested from different parts of the State.
Some of the arrests were reportedly made by the Department of State Services (DSS), and the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army.
Outgoing General Officer, 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Umar Musa, disclosed this on Tuesday, during the handover ceremony, that the Division arrested many impersonators while he was GOC 81 Division.
Although Gen Musa did not categorically said if those arrested were bandits, he nonetheless disclosed that the supplier of the army camouflage to the impersonators has also been arrested.
Maj. Gen Musa said: “I can’t remember how many impersonators we have arrested. But we still have quite a large number of them. When we make arrests we hand them over to the Nigeria Police to do further investigation and prosecute them because we don’t have the power to prosecute.
“There has been progress to clamp down the sources of these uniforms and accoutrement. We had one suspect who had been in our place for quite some time. He also has been handed over to the DSS which will do further investigation and prosecute him. The Nigeria Customs Service is also doing a lot in this regard,” he said.
While appreciating the Chief of Army Staff for giving him the opportunity to serve as GOC 81 Division, he hinted that the division under his watch was able to surmount the challenges encountered.
He, however, urged Nigerians to see the war against insurgency as all-inclusive and not just for the Nigerian Army.
He said: “You are all aware of how threats have taken over the country. We as the Army are doing our best to ensure we curtail all these activities. I want to assure civilians that the Nigerian Army is doing its best to ensure the country remains peaceful.”