On Wednesday, December 8, 2022, the Ghana Armed Forces announced the arrest of a man posing as a senior military officer.
The suspect, identified as Rafui Abubakar, was arrested by military police while attempting to access a military installation at Burma Camp.
According to the Ghanan Armed Forces, the suspect who admitted to defrauding some persons seeking to join the army, is married to two women who have both been living under the impression that the suspect is an actual military officer.
"Considering that his two wives, living at Ablekuma and Olebu, respectively, were under the false impression that their husband was a real military officer, it is possible that many other persons may have fallen victim to his impersonations and fraudulent activities," the statement by GAF said.
GAF, which urged persons who may have fallen victim to the suspect or hold information on his dealings to come forward, said Abubakar has since been handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service for further investigation.
According to GAF, Abubakar, before his arrest, was attempting to book a flight at the Air Force Base while dressed as a senior military officer.
"Military Police personnel have arrested one Rufai Abubakar for posing as a senior military officer and trying to access a military installation inside Burma Camp. The suspect who was dressed in a military camouflage uniform, decorated with fake Lieutenant Colonel ranks, claimed he was stationed at Northern Command Headquarters and was proceeding to the Air Force Base to book a flight to Tamale.
"The suspect who entered Burma Camp in a commercial vehicle was closely monitored as he alighted at a bus stop and headed to the Air Force Base. The guards on duty noted his suspicious behaviour, questioned him and after some incoherent answers, he confessed he was not a service personnel.
He also disclosed that he posed as a senior military officer to enable him to defraud one Mr. Abdallah Abdul Fatahu, from whom he had collected an amount of three thousand Ghana cedis (GHC3, 000.00) under the pretext of recruiting him into the Ghana Armed Forces," GAF said.
The suspect, at the time of his arrest, was said to be in possession of fake military identification and business cards, as well as other documents bearing his name.
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"A follow-up search by the Military Police at his two residences at Ablekuma Fan Milk and Olebu, respectively, led to the retrieval of documents, including several certificates and fake Ghana Armed Forces recruitment application summary reports bearing names of defrauded persons, military uniforms and accoutrements, and a toy pistol," the GAF statement added.
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