By Desire Emmanuel
The Nigerian Army has arrested a man it described as “a notorious impostor” who has been parading himself as a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, thereby misleading the public and abusing the prestige of the military institution.
The Nigerian Army, in a statement issued over the matter, gave the man’s name as Alhaji Tijjani Abdul Rauf.
It said investigations carried out revealed that the man was neither commissioned into the Nigerian Army at any time nor did he attain the rank of General or retire from the service in any capacity.
Further findings established that he claimed to have attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru and that he was a recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
“The impostor was found to have 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,” the Nigerian Army added.
The man also went to the extent of granting interviews in national dailies where he was repeatedly referred to as “retired Major General” and this further added to the level in which he has acted fraudulently in the public space.
“One of such report published by the Premium Times, falsely identified him as “Major General AbdulRauf Tijjani (retd)” in a suit instituted against the Lagos State Government and other respondents, in which he sought ₦8 billion in damages.
“Another report by the Independent Newspaper 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 Nigerian Army stated that for the avoidance of doubt, 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.
He is expected to be handed over to the appropriate quarters for prosecution after the conclusion of investigation into his nefarious activities.
