The Nigerian Army has apprehended a man, Alhaji Tijjani Rauf, for allegedly impersonating a retired Major General and making false claims about his military and national honours.
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In a statement signed by Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele on Thursday, the Army said the suspect “falsely paraded himself as a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, thereby misleading the public and abusing the prestige of the military institution.”
The Army said preliminary investigations revealed that Abdul Rauf “was never commissioned into the Nigerian Army at any time, nor did he attain the rank of General or retire from the Service in any capacity.”
It added that further findings established that he “fraudulently claimed attendance of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru” and “falsely asserted that he was a recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). All these claims have been conclusively confirmed to be entirely false and fabricated.”
The Army said the suspect “consistently exploited these false credentials to intimidate unsuspecting civilians, including during court proceedings where he presented himself as a retired senior military officer to command undue respect, sympathy and influence.”
It added that media reports published in two nationally recognised newspapers were recovered during interrogation, in which the suspect was repeatedly referred to as a “retired Major General,” saying this “further demonstrates the extent to which the individual sustained his deception within the public space.”
The statement cited a media report that “falsely identified him as ‘Major General AbdulRauf Tijjani (rtd)’ in a suit instituted against the Lagos State Government and other respondents, in which he sought ₦8 billion in damages.”
Another report dated 9 November 2020 “also referred to him as a ‘retired major general’ while detailing his appeal against the dismissal of the same suit, which the court had earlier described as a gross abuse of court process and incompetent in law,” the Army said.
The Nigerian Army warned that “no retired officer of the Nigerian Army bears the name Alhaji Tijjani Abdul Rauf, nor has any officer with such identity ever held the rank of Major General or above within the Service.”
It condemned the act, saying: “We strongly condemn this act of impersonation, which constitutes a grave offence, undermines public trust and tarnishes the honour and integrity of officers who have genuinely served the nation with distinction.”
The statement added that the Army “remains steadfast in upholding professionalism, integrity and accountability in the defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” and will “continue to collaborate with relevant authorities to ensure that impostors and fraudsters are brought to justice.”
It also urged members of the public to verify claims of military status through appropriate channels and report suspicious representations to security agencies, warning that it “shall not hesitate to subject any individual engaged in such act to the full wrath of the law.”
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