Dismissed Army Sergeant Arrested for Kidnapping, Theft

A dismissed Nigerian Army sergeant and ex-convict, Kingsley Wanogho, 42, has been arrested in Lagos for impersonation and abduction. Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command apprehended him on Saturday at Ikeja Under Bridge after one of his alleged victims spotted him near Computer Village.

Wanogho is accused of abducting a young man in Ikeja and later abandoning him on the Third Mainland Bridge after stealing his iPhone 13. According to a statement released by the RRS on Wednesday, the arrest followed an alert raised by the victim, who recognized the suspect at the busy location.

Preliminary investigations revealed that on December 30, 2024, Wanogho accused his victim, identified as Solomon, of stumbling into him and allegedly causing the loss of a gold ring. He reportedly insisted that Solomon must produce the ring and then identified himself as a military officer, displaying a fake army identification card.

The suspect allegedly threatened to take the victim to an army barracks in Oshodi and subsequently called an accomplice who arrived on a motorcycle. Under the pretense of escorting Solomon to the barracks, they instead took him to the Third Mainland Bridge, where they stole his iPhone 13 and money before abandoning him.

Further investigations revealed that Wanogho later sold the stolen phone for ₦150,000 at Computer Village, Ikeja. Police records also indicate that he had been arrested in Ikeja last year and imprisoned for a similar crime.

During his arrest, authorities recovered a Nigerian Army fez cap and a fake military identity card from him. The suspect has now been transferred to the Commissioner of Police’s Special Squad for further investigation.