The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) has arrested five persons alleged to be impersonating members of the Corps in Benin City.

The suspects were alleged to have been extorting money from motorists and traders on the pretext of being members of the Corps.

The Corps’s Deputy Commander of Operations, Richard Balogun, said the suspects were arrested in various parts of the Benin metropolis.

He said there have been series of reports from drivers and traders alleging that some members of the Corps have been extorting money from them in the name of the Corps.

He said following the development, the Corps set up a special team to carry out surveillance around King’s Square, New Benin, Ugbowo, Ikpoba Hill, and environs toward unraveling those behind the extortion.

According to him, the surveillance led to the arrest of five persons responsible for the act, noting, “The arrested suspects were not members of the Edo State Security Corps.”

“They are impersonators who dress like active members of the Corps and collect money and other gratifications from commercial vehicle operators and traders around the King’s Square.”

He said the money collected from them was to enable the traders to embark on street trading around the walkway while the commercial drivers parked indiscriminately to pick passengers.

The suspects were arrested with the cash already collected from the people, and Balogun said authorized members of the Corps who went through training can never be involved in extortion.

He said the suspects have been handed over to the police for prosecution.