Army Nabs Seven Fake Soldiers in Rivers State

Army Nabs Seven Fake Soldiers in Rivers State

Luck ran out on four men posing as military personnel as the Nigerian Army 2 Brigade in Port Harcourt paraded them on Friday, The Punch reported.

The impostors (three posing as soldiers and one as a naval officer) were among eight suspected criminals paraded by the army. According to the army, one of the men Abba Ibrahim, posed as a captain in the Nigerian Army and had used the position to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

The army alleged that Ibrahim was involved in illegal oil bunkering. He was arrested in Bodo on Wednesday with illegally refined oil and a Toyota Hilux van.

Ibrahim was dismissed from the Nigerian Army eight years ago, had been arrested in 2011 and jailed for parading himself as a Lieutenant in the army. But Ibrahim went back to his crime and was arrested after parading himself as a Captain in the Nigerian Army.

Speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the 2 Brigade Army spokesman, Captain Eli Lazarus, disclosed that Ibrahim was dismissed from the Nigerian Army as a sergeant in 2008.

Lazarus explained that the suspect was accosted around Bodo, adding that Ibrahim could not answer some of the question thrown at him.

“On Wednesday, June 1, 2016, men of the 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, arrested one Abba Ibrahim, aged 40 along Bodo road in Gokana LGA of Rivers State. The suspect was dressed in military camouflage uniform with the badge of a rank of Captain.

“He was sighted alone by our men, who became suspicious and approached him for questioning. The suspect could not answer some of the questions satisfactorily. He was therefore arrested.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that Ibrahim was dismissed from the Nigerian Army in 2008 as a sergeant. He confessed to using the uniform to facilitate illegal oil bunkering in the general area of Bodo,” he said.

Lazarus also disclosed that a Toyota Hilux van with Registration Number Cross River GGJ 561 AA and some quantity of refined automotive gasoline oil loaded in the vehicle were recovered from the suspect.

Ibrahim told journalists that he was forced into crime because he could not make ends meet.

“I was living from hand to mouth and struggling to survive and that is why I impersonated as an Army officer,” Ibrahim stressed.

Also, Abba Mohammed was arrested for parading himself as an Army corporal while Lucky Nyeke, was arrested as a suspected fake Lieutenant in the Nigerian Navy.

He added that Mohammed was arrested in Artillery Bus-stop, Port Harcourt when he was fighting with some  policemen.

“Equally, Godwin Okeke, 25, is another suspect that parades himself as a sergeant in the Army. He produced a fake military identity card, which he uses to facilitate his transport business.

“He was, however, arrested in Rumuokoro by our personnel on duty. Tijani Kano and Johnson Inuwa, both 29 years were arrested for illegal possession of military uniforms in Elele while Gabriel Ameh, 44, was arrested in Okrika for duping unsuspecting members of the public, claiming to be acting on behalf of the Brigade”

The 2 Brigade spokesman explained that the suspects would be handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation and prosecution.