A 27-year-old man, Yusuf Abdullahi, has been arrested in Lagos for allegedly impersonating a serving officer of the Nigerian Air Force and defrauding traders across major markets in the state through a long-running scheme.
Military authorities said Abdullahi presented himself as an Air Force personnel, wearing military camouflage to gain the trust of unsuspecting traders before collecting goods and issuing fake bank transfer alerts. His activities reportedly spanned several markets in Lagos and remained undetected for years.
The operation was disrupted on February 18, 2026, when traders at Ladipo Market raised the alarm over a man dressed in military attire who allegedly obtained goods without valid payment. He was initially restrained by traders before officers from the Ladipo Police Division intervened and took him into custody.
Confirming the arrest, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Commander Patricia Ochei, said Abdullahi claimed to be a serving Air Force personnel attached to 055 Camp, Lagos, prompting involvement from military police. Verification revealed that Abdullahi was neither a serving member nor a former personnel of the Nigerian Air Force.
“He is an impostor who deliberately exploited military identity to gain trust and defraud members of the public. This was his established modus operandi before his arrest,” Ochei said. Investigations also showed that the vehicle used by the suspect was not a military vehicle but one assigned to him for commercial Uber operations. The vehicle has since been recovered and is currently at the Ladipo Police Station.
Ochei further noted that Abdullahi had previously appeared on security watchlists, with officers at the 651 Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, confirming that his photograph had circulated among security units following similar incidents at Oshodi and Alaba International markets.
“Investigations indicate that his activities spanned more than three years, during which he allegedly defrauded traders at Trade Fair, Ladipo, and Alaba markets using fake transfer alerts,” she said, adding that at least five victims had so far come forward, including an elderly woman who lost more than N300,000 to the suspect.
During questioning, Abdullahi reportedly admitted obtaining the military camouflage from a friend and said he began using it in July while working as a commercial motorcyclist between Iyana-Ipaja and Oshodi. “I started wearing the camouflage when a man called Sergeant Samuel gave me the uniform to work as security at a party. I was paid N35,000 for that job,” he was quoted as saying. He, however, failed to provide details about Samuel or the source of the special forces uniform and dagger recovered during his arrest.
Before being handed over to the police, Abdullahi was confronted by five individuals who claimed he had defrauded them in the past. He reportedly denied wrongdoing, insisting that network failures prevented successful transfers.
On efforts to apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate, including the individual said to have supplied the camouflage, Commander Ochei reaffirmed the military’s zero-tolerance stance on impersonation. “Investigations are ongoing. The Armed Forces will continue to work with the police, relevant stakeholders, and members of the public to identify impostors and ensure they face the full weight of the law,” she said.
