The suspects, identified as 37-year-old Brooms Anthony from Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and 36-year-old Christian Ogbole from Onoh Village in Eziagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, were arrested over the weekend.
The Commanding Officer of the Onitsha Naval Outpost, Commander Kabir Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the suspects were handed over to the Rapid Response Squad in Awkuzu for further investigation.
Yusuf said Anthony was stopped at about 2 a.m. while travelling from Lagos to Enugu in a Nissan Atlas truck conveying household items.
According to him, naval personnel conducting a routine inspection found an identity card allegedly identifying Anthony as a naval officer.
He said the suspect could not provide convincing evidence to establish his claimed affiliation with the Nigerian Navy, resulting in his arrest for alleged impersonation.In a separate incident, naval personnel reportedly intercepted a Suzuki minibus allegedly being used to convey stolen property.
Yusuf said the operation followed a complaint from a trader whose shop had recently been burgled and valuables stolen.
The vehicle, with registration number RNN 573 XA, was reportedly spotted approaching the Awkuzu checkpoint at high speed and failed to stop despite signals from security personnel.
The naval team subsequently gave chase and intercepted the minibus, arresting Ogbole, while other occupants reportedly fled from the scene.
Items recovered from the vehicle included six solar batteries, a rechargeable solar fan, two solar lights, a solar controller, a disco light and solar cable wires.
The recovered solar equipment was later identified by the affected trader and returned to him.
Other items recovered were two pry bars, three mobile phones, four vehicle keys, 10 litres of petrol, assorted rubber slippers and a power bank.
Commander Yusuf said the arrests formed part of sustained efforts by the Nigerian Navy, in partnership with other security agencies, to tackle criminal activities and safeguard residents and property across Anambra State.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to working with the Police and other relevant agencies to strengthen security and restrict the activities of criminal elements in the state.
