Police nab fake soldier, recover stolen car in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police have arrested a 26-year-old man named John Umar. He is accused of impersonation, theft, assault, and criminal breach of trust. The police also recovered a vehicle that was reportedly stolen from a water factory owner in Bauchi.

Umar lives in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. He is also accused of pretending to be a Nigerian Army officer to carry out his criminal acts.

Nafiu Habib, the Police Public Relations Officer, shared this news in a statement on Friday. He said the arrest followed a complaint made by a resident of the Gida Dubu area in Bauchi metropolis.

According to Habib, the complainant, who goes by the name Salisu, received a call on October 18, 2026. The caller identified himself as John Umar Shehu and asked for a job as a driver at his pure water factory.

Salisu invited Umar for an interview and a driving test on October 19. However, on October 22, 2026, during the driving assessment, the suspect allegedly attacked Salisu and one of his neighbor's sons. He tricked them and drove away with the vehicle.

The police spokesperson said the stolen vehicle is a white H-Jet with registration number AE-278-ALK. They also reported that an Infinix Smart 5X mobile phone was stolen during the incident.

Following the complaint, detectives acted quickly and arrested Umar using intelligence-led policing. They also conducted a search and found military uniforms and other items he used to pretend to be an Army officer.

The recovered items included a full set of Army desert camouflage uniform with a jungle hat, an Army green camouflage uniform, an Army raincoat, a camouflage vest, and an Army sweater.

The police said the stolen vehicle was found in his possession in Jos, the capital of Plateau State. Umar allegedly claimed to be Private Umar Shehu, with service number NA/22/82/1064, attached to the 7 Division, Maimalari Barracks, 134 Special Forces Battalion in Borno State.

The Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, condemned the impersonation. He warned that the police would not tolerate the use of security agencies' identities for criminal activities.

"The Command will not tolerate criminal impersonation of security agencies to perpetrate crime," the commissioner said.

Aliyu promised that Umar would be thoroughly investigated and taken to court. "The suspect will be diligently investigated and charged to court," he added.