The Nigeria Police Force in Bayelsa State has arrested two suspects for allegedly impersonating military personnel in separate operations carried out in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Musa Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Yenagoa.
According to the statement, operatives attached to the Ekeki Division arrested a 25-year-old suspect, Kelechi Lazarus, on February 13, 2026, at about 3:00 p.m. at Ekeki Park, Yenagoa.
The suspect, who was dressed in military camouflage bearing the rank of Corporal, allegedly attempted to fraudulently withdraw N200,000 from a Point of Sale (POS) operator by presenting a fake bank transfer alert.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed that Lazarus showed the victim a purported credit alert on his mobile phone as proof of payment. However, the POS operator did not receive any corresponding notification and insisted on verifying the transaction with her bank.
Upon inquiry, the bank reportedly confirmed that no such transaction had been credited to her account.
The PPRO stated that the suspect initially persuaded the victim to accompany him to his bank for clarification but later suggested they proceed to his “base” at the 16 Brigade. Suspecting foul play, the victim declined.
“The suspect then assaulted her, inflicting bodily injuries,” Mohammed said.
The POS operator alerted the police control room, prompting officers from the Ekeki Division to respond swiftly and arrest the suspect. A search conducted on him led to the recovery of illicit substances.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect had allegedly defrauded several individuals in different states using a similar method.
The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Iyamah Daniel Edebor, subsequently contacted the Military Police of 16 Brigade for verification of the suspect’s identity. He was confirmed to be a dismissed soldier from the 82 Division, Enugu, in 2024.
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation, after which the suspect will be charged in court.
In a related development, troops of the 16 Brigade in Yenagoa on February 16, 2026, at about 4:50 p.m., arrested another suspect, identified as 25-year-old Isah Aliyu Umar.
Umar, who hails from Bauchi State but resides in Kaduna State, was apprehended at the 16 Brigade Mosque premises and handed over to the SCID in Yenagoa.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had allegedly been parading himself as a Lieutenant of the Nigerian Navy across various states.
Items recovered from him include several falsified documents, a Nigerian Navy name tag, multiple SIM cards, passport photographs, camouflage and navy trousers, an Oppo Android phone, three National Identity Cards, a fake DNV Management System Certificate, and a forged report claiming ownership of seven million dollars by a company identified as Ganjuwa Gorond Global Enterprise.
Police said the suspect is currently undergoing investigation at the SCID and will be charged to court upon conclusion of the probe.
The Command, under Commissioner of Police, Edebor, advised members of the public to be cautious of individuals posing as security personnel without proper identification and urged anyone with useful information regarding such activities to report to the nearest police station.