The Ogun State Police Command says operatives of its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit have rescued a man impersonating a soldier from being lynched by a mob in the Olomore area of Abeokuta, the state capital.

The command’s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

According to her, the rescue followed a distress alert intercepted by the command’s Cyber Centre, indicating that a crowd had surrounded a man dressed in full military camouflage and was preparing to attack him.

Odutola said the swift deployment of SWAT operatives averted what could have been a fatal mob attack.

“The incident followed a distress call intercepted by the command’s Cyber Centre, alerting operatives that a man dressed in full military green camouflage uniform was surrounded by a crowd and on the verge of being lynched. SWAT operatives raced to the scene, and upon sighting the officers, the mob immediately dispersed, allowing the safe rescue of the suspect,” she said.

Preliminary findings revealed that the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Robinson Godday, had allegedly snatched two mobile phones from a resident before being chased and apprehended by youths in the area.

Odutola added, “Open-source intelligence further revealed that the suspect had allegedly snatched two mobile phones from a young man in the area. His attempt to escape proved futile as he was overtaken by a large crowd intent on mob justice. He was subsequently assaulted by the irate youths and sustained an injury on his right leg.”

Before police arrival, the recovered phones had already been returned to their owner by the crowd.

During interrogation, Godday reportedly confessed he was not a military officer and admitted he stole the camouflage uniform from a soldier serving at the Ojo Military Barracks in Lagos, who is currently deployed in the North-East.

The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered heightened security checks in the area to prevent similar incidents. He also condemned the mob action, directing more raids and stop-and-search operations around Olomore.

The police urged residents to desist from taking the law into their own hands and to always hand over suspects to security agencies. The suspect remains in custody as investigation continues.