An investigation into an illegal recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) has revealed that majority of those hired were from the north.
It was revealed that 538 new recruits were hired under the leadership of the controller-general, Ahmed Ja’afaru and the minister of the interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau without following the federal character guideline on national recruitment.
According to Sahara Reporters, a source revealed that there were two separate lists of names of new recruits who were to undergo new hire training in Lagos or Kaduna.
The first list is titled: “List of Newly Recruited ASP in Training” and that it is to take place at the Prisons Training College in Kiri-Kiri, Lagos State.
The second list is titled “List of Newly Recruited Trainees June 2016” and that it is to take place at Prisons Training School in Kaduna State.
It was further revealed that 370 recruits from the 530 names were from the 14 northern states which make up 68 per cent of the illegal recruits.
Francis Enobore who is the spokesperson of the NPS said he could recollect any recruitment announcement
He also said that unless a person was hired, it was not possible for the person to undergo training. Sources at the NPS however claimed that officials backdated letters of appointment for the illegal hires to cover the tracks.
The same sources that if the training was for members of staff, it would have been in small batches but a training of that magnitude was for new recruits.
Mr Enobore admitted that a legal process was required to hire new recruits as the NPS “would need to make their case before the Federal Government, request to declare new vacancies, and have that request approved.”
He also confirmed that the Federal Character Commission would need to be involved to ensure no single ethnic group or State receives preferential hires.
This recruitment is similar to the illegal recruitment that occurred within the Central Bank of Nigeria where children and family members of top politicians were secretly offered employment.
Full list of recruits as obtained by Sahara Reporters below:
