Police Nab Fake Lawyer in Minna

Laleye Dipo in Minna

A 29-year-old man, Stephen Jeremiah, who has been parading himself as a legal practitioner in the last one year has been arrested by men of the Niger State police command.

Jeremiah was arrested in the Maitumbi area of Minna, the state capital last Monday.

He was alleged to have been duping innocent members of the public by promising to use his position as a legal practitioner to secure them jobs in federal and state ministries and agencies.

The state Police Commissioner, Austin Agbolahor, who paraded the suspect before journalists last Tuesday evening, said nemesis caught up with him (Jeremiah) when he failed to secure employment for one of his victims after collecting N160,000.

The victim, Agbolahor said reported the incident to the Maitumbi police station after which a search was carried out in the house of the suspect.

The police boss said a large picture of the suspect dressed in full lawyers gown and wig and N160, 000 were recovered from the residence.

Stephen Jeremiah in an interview with journalists claimed he was a National Diploma certificate graduate from the Justice Fati Lami Abubakar Institute of legal Studies in Minna but declined to say if he had committed the offence that led to his arrest.

He however said it was one of his cousins that reported him to the police that he was parading himself as a lawyer.

Agbolahor also paraded 11 young men who were behind the series of clashes between two communities in Katcha town of the state.

The commissioner said even after the state government took over the disputed parcel of land in the area the suspects still went ahead to cause trouble.

He said all the suspects would soon be charged to court.