Military Arrests Fake Civilian JTF, Fraudsters In Maiduguri

THE Nigerian Army has announced the arrest of three suspected impersonators of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) while patrolling the streets of Maiduguri, Borno State.

The suspected impersonators, according to authorities of 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, claimed to be members of CJTF, the local vigilante group mobilising against Boko Hram insurgency, and extorted money from relations and friends of those being investigated by the military for terrorism related offences.

Meanwhile the military yesterday increased the curfew hours in Maiduguri by 30 minutes following last Tuesday’s twin bomb blasts that claimed the lives of a soldier and a woman at the Gomari airport roundabout.

Parading the suspects on Thursday at Giwa barracks, spokesman of 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Col. Tukur Ismail Gusau, disclosed that the arrested suspects used the name of the General Officer Commanding, Maj-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun and other senior military officers, to extort funds from relations of detained Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri.

His words: “The Nigerian Army has arrested three persons namely; Alhaji Baba of Gwange area, Abubakar Tijani Lawan of London Chiki and Umar Ali of Gidan Dambe in Maiduguri; who claimed to be members of CJTF; using the name of the General Officer Commanding 7 Division Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun and other senior officers in the theatre of operations, to extort funds from relations and friends of those being investigated for terrorism related offences.”