Photo: Police arrest fake Assistant Commissioner of Police

46 year old Alexander Ilesanmi (pictured above), an indigene of Akure, Ondo state has been arrested by the Lagos State Police command for parading himself as an Assistant Commissioner of Police and receiving stolen vehicles from robbery suspects.

According to police reports, Illesanmi, who goes about dressing in police uniform with the rank of a Deputy police commissioner displayed on his shirt, was arrested after an apprehended notorious car snatcher and supposed pastor of a church, Gabriel Asaolu, identified him to be one of those who bought stolen cars from him. Continue...

Investigations by the police revealed that Ilesanmi had bought two stolen cars, a Mitsubishi Montero and a Toyota Avalon from the suspect before he was arrested. The insignia of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), two photographs of the himself in DSP and ACP uniforms as well as an unregistered SUV believed to have been sold to him by another suspect was discovered at his home.

When interrogated, Ilesanmi said he got the DSP and ACP insignia from a friend, whom he identified simply as Segun. He said he used the police uniforms to help in clearing vehicles which he deals in

“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.” he said