Fake Soldiers Exposed: Expelled Military School Dropouts Caught Posing as Troops in Suleja

Two men who allegedly spent years parading as military personnel in a Suleja community have finally met their match—not on a battlefield, but in a cramped police cell. The Niger State Police Command confirmed the arrest of Abraham Ashiwel and Michael Okonkwo, both residents of the Bakassi area, after they reportedly stormed a laundry shop in Angwan-Gwari on August 8 and roughed up an attendant over a missing phone.

The suspects, according to Police Public Relations Officer SP Wasiu Abiodun, didn’t just cause a scene. They allegedly laid hands on the shop worker, sparking a complaint that landed them in handcuffs. Officers from ‘B’ Division, Suleja, launched an investigation, and that’s when the story took a wild turn. Under questioning, the men confessed to something far more brazen than a simple assault: they admitted to impersonating military personnel in the community for years, long enough to fool residents and local businesses alike.

Here’s the kicker—both men are not strangers to military life. Investigators uncovered that Ashiwel and Okonkwo once attended the Nigerian Military School in Zaria. But their time there ended in disgrace, with each being expelled—one in 2016, the other in 2019. What they didn’t leave behind was the swagger, or the gear. Police recovered a military camouflage trouser, two combat T-shirts, two pairs of desert boots, two identity cards, and two jackknives from the duo.

The suspects are currently cooling their heels in custody while the investigation deepens. They are expected to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, where the full weight of the law will determine whether their impersonation act was just a bad decision or a calculated scam with far-reaching consequences. For now, the only uniform they’ll be wearing is the one issued by the prison system.