Rivers Police Parade Fake Soldier Linked to Kidnapping, Armed Robbery, Cultism

PORT HARCOURT — The Rivers State Police Command has paraded a 49-year-old man, Andrew Atausi, said to have posed as a soldier while running a criminal operation spanning car theft, armed robbery, kidnapping and cultism.

State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, describing the arrests as part of the Command’s operational achievements between June and August 2026.

The Arrest and What It Revealed

ValidViewNetwork’s checks confirm that Atausi was arrested on August 10, 2026, along Ada George in Port Harcourt, dressed in military-pattern uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Nigerian Army colours.

Investigations, according to the Commissioner, revealed that Atausi held no affiliation with the Armed Forces and is suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered in connection with his arrest.

The impersonation of military personnel by criminal elements is not new to Nigeria’s security narrative; it plays on the deference many citizens still extend to men in uniform, deference that syndicates like Atausi’s have learned to exploit for cover on the road and, in some cases, for extortion.

ADVERTISEMENT

Command’s Position

CP Adepoju said the Command remains committed to dismantling all networks operating under false identities in the state, adding that further arrests connected to the case are expected as investigations continue. He urged residents to report suspicious military-style checkpoints to the nearest police division rather than comply without verification.