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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 in what authorities describe as a long-running scheme.
Military officials said the suspect operated by presenting himself as an Air Force personnel, using military camouflage to gain the confidence of unsuspecting traders before collecting goods and issuing fake bank transfer alerts.
His activities, investigators said, spanned several markets in Lagos and went undetected for years.
The operation came to an end on February 18, 2026, when traders at Ladipo Market raised an alarm over a man dressed in military attire who allegedly obtained goods without making valid payments.
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, NAFRC, Commander Patricia Ochei, said the suspect claimed to be a serving Air Force personnel attached to 055 Camp, Lagos, prompting the involvement of military police from NAFRC.
According to her, verification carried out by the Air Force 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.
She added that investigations further showed 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,” she disclosed.
Ochei revealed that the suspect had previously appeared on security watchlists, noting that officers at the 651 Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, later confirmed that his photograph had circulated among security units following similar incidents reported 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 to identify him.
“Among them is an elderly woman who said she lost more than N300,000 to the suspect,” Ochei added.
During questioning, Abdullahi reportedly admitted obtaining the military camouflage from a friend and said he was drawn into crime 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,” the suspect was quoted as saying.
He, however, failed to provide details about the whereabouts of the said Samuel or explain how he came into possession of the special forces uniform and dagger allegedly recovered from him at the time of arrest.
Before being handed over to the police, the suspect 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.
Fake Air Force officer arrested over three-year fraud scheme in Lagos
