Nigerian Army disowns Abia armed robbery suspect as fake soldier

The Nigerian Army has firmly distanced itself from a suspect arrested for armed robbery in Abia State. Officials described the man as a criminal impostor who was falsely parading as a serving personnel from the 14 Brigade in Ohafia.

NaijaChoice News reports that the Brigade’s headquarters issued a statement on Wednesday following a viral video on social media. In the clip, the suspect identified himself as Lance Corporal Chukwu Ebuka Peter and confessed to robbing a victim of nearly N5 million using axes and handcuffs.

The Army said preliminary checks showed the man has no service number and could not link himself to any recognised unit under the Brigade. No record of such a soldier exists in their database.

Captain Mazinho Attah, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, signed the statement. He declared the suspect an unscrupulous criminal impersonator bent on committing crimes in military uniform.

The Nigerian Army strongly condemned the act of impersonation. It warned that such behaviour tarnishes the image of the force and misleads the public.

The statement stressed that every genuine soldier carries a unique service number for identification. It urged members of the public to disregard any claim linking the suspect to the Nigerian Army.

The Army reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy on criminality. Any verified serving personnel found guilty would face full military justice under existing laws and regulations.

Captain Attah called on citizens to report suspicious individuals posing as soldiers to the nearest security agency. He said prompt action would help curb such impersonation cases.

This development comes as security agencies continue to battle rising incidents of fake military personnel in the South East. The Nigerian Army has in recent months issued similar disclaimers to protect its reputation amid ongoing operations against crime in the region.