KANO, Nigeria – An impersonation ring involving counterfeit soldiers, policemen, and customs officers has been dismantled by the real Kano city police force.
The fraudulent officials, who had been exploiting and terrorizing Kano’s citizens, are now behind bars, with a series of arrests taking place throughout the month of May.
The arrests were confirmed by Abdullah Haruna Kiyawa, spokesman for the Kano Police Command, who shared the details of the operation in a statement on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
“These fraudsters were apprehended on multiple occasions, disguising as law enforcement and defrauding unsuspecting individuals,” Kiyawa said.
One such impostor, Mukhtar Aminu Ibrahim, was apprehended while masquerading as a soldier and extracting money from individuals at a local bank.
The perpetrators displayed audacity and cunning in their criminal endeavors. Kiyawa recounted a chilling incident where a man was attacked and robbed twice within a matter of days by what he believed to be rogue police officers, losing a Samsung phone, some cash, and twenty-six bags of rice.
In response, the real law enforcement leaped into action, arresting two of the bogus officers and seizing counterfeit identification cards and a tricycle believed to have been stolen from a victim.
The culmination of the operation came with the arrest of Saifullahi Yusuf, who had been posing as a customs officer and terrorizing residents.
The arrest of Yusuf led to the capture of his accomplice, Najib Sa’idu, found with a homemade rifle and pistol.
“The suspects confessed to their crimes,” Kiyawa said, “leading us to arrest one of their gang members in possession of a locally fabricated firearm.”
With these confessions, the tangled web of impersonation and intimidation began to unravel, providing a grim insight into a criminal underworld beneath Kano’s bustling metropolis.
However, the police spokesman assured the public that this was a significant blow against such organized crime.
“The case remains under investigation,” he added. “We will proceed to court as soon as we complete our inquiries.”
This series of arrests is likely to bring some relief to the residents of Kano, though it also highlights the ever-present challenges facing law enforcement in an age of deception and sophisticated criminal networks.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the city’s real officers will remain vigilant, determined to protect their community from those who misuse the symbols of law and order.
