The operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command have arrested a 59-year-old man described by the authorities as a notorious impersonator who had for years been posing as high-profile politicians and security chiefs across the country to allegedly perpetrate fraud and other criminal activities.

The suspect, Identified as Aminu Yarima, a native of Bichi Local Government Area of Kano State, was said to have been apprehended after weeks of ?sustained surveillance and credible intelligence gathering? by detectives from the command.

According to a statement on Tuesday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, Yarima was arrested on July 19, 2025, at his residence located at No. 6 GRA Government Quarters, Keffi, Nasarawa State.

Hassan said the suspect, during interrogation, confessed to impersonating several top personalities in the country, ranging from sitting governors to heads of federal agencies and even spouses of prominent public office holders.

Among those he allegedly posed as are ?The Governors of Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Ondo states; The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); The wife of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; The wife of the Kogi State Governor; The Inspector-General of Police; The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO).?

The police spokesman also disclosed that Yarima had at various times impersonated other influential figures ?across Nigeria?s political and security architecture.?

Hassan added that a search of the suspect?s home uncovered several incriminating items, including five mobile phones, twenty-three SIM cards, multiple diaries and jotters containing detailed contacts of senior aides to governors across the 36 states of the federation, and contact lists of traditional rulers, senior military and police officers, and high-ranking government officials.

The statement said, ?Upon arrest, the suspect confessed to having impersonated several high-profile personalities, including the Executive Governors of Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Ondo States; the Chairman of the EFCC; the Chairman of FIRS; the wife of the late Chief of Staff Abba Kyari, the wife of the Kogi State Governor; the Inspector-General of Police; the Force Public Relations Officer; and several other prominent figures in Nigerian politics and security sectors.

?During a search of his residence, the following items were recovered: five mobile phones, 23 SIM cards, several diary books and jotters containing phone numbers of all the Chiefs of Staff to the governors of the 36 states across the country, as well as those of high-ranking federal and state officials, traditional rulers (Emirs and Chiefs), and senior police and military officers.?

Hassan further noted that the suspect had been placed under intensive investigation, adding that he would be charged to court upon completion of the police inquiry.

He quoted the State Police Commissioner, Rabiu Muhammad, as having commended the operatives of the command.

While confirming the arrest, he described it as ?a significant breakthrough in the command?s efforts to clamp down on impersonators, fraudsters and all categories of criminals bent on tarnishing the image of credible institutions in Nigeria.?

He also reassured residents of the state that the police would not relent in their duty to ensure the security and safety of lives and property across Kaduna and beyond.

?The Kaduna State Police Command remains committed to ridding our society of fraudsters, impersonators and all sorts of criminals,? the statement added. (The PUNCH)

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