The Lagos State Government has demanded the arrest and prosecution of six northern candidates involved in the Nigerian Army recruitment, who falsely claimed to be indigenes of the state.
In a viral video circulating online, these candidates, originally from Kaduna State, claimed to be from Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos Island Local Government Area, and Oshodi Isolo Local Government Area, aiming to secure positions reserved for Lagos State indigenes in the ongoing military recruitment.
However, during interrogation, they could not speak nor understand the Yoruba language, a local language spoken by majority of Lagosians. It may be noted nonetheless, that not all Lagosians are fluent speakers of the Yoruba language.
The suspects later admitted to have come from Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria.
The discovery triggered bitter reactions from Lagosians casting doubts about the integrity of the recruitment process and accusing non-Lagosians of unfairly benefiting from slots designated for the state.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, speaking to journalists said the matter has been referred to the military authorities. He urged the police to take action to prosecute the impersonators.
“It is criminal to attempt to claim that you are from Lagos when you are not. It is what the police should take up, arrest the candidates and try them,” Omotoso said, adding, “it is perjury and is punishable under the law of the land.”
Army Reacts
The Nigerian Army confirmed the arrest of the six candidates. In a statement by the Director, of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army said that the arrest demonstrates the transparency and credibility of the recruitment process.
The statement from the Army read in part, “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a circulating video on social media depicting the arrest of some fraudulent candidates of the ongoing 86 Regular Recruits Intake, who were caught attempting to short-change indigenous candidates of Lagos State through dubious means.
“The NA wishes to state that the arrest of the fraudulent candidates was a result of the commitment of the NA to upholding a transparent and credible recruitment process in line with its core values of integrity and fairness. The video is a pointer to one of the processes to which the candidates were subjected to ensure only true indigenes of a particular State are recruited, using the slots of that state for only indigenes.
“The video in itself, therefore, clearly shows that the process is transparent, as the State Representative, who is a prominent member of the recruitment team has been part and parcel of the process and was given unhindered access to do her job by scrutinizing the candidates’ State of origin, to ascertain the genuineness of their indigeneship claims.”
Onyema promised a full investigation into the attempted fraud. He said any attempt to feign the wrong state indigeneship was a “serious breach of our recruitment process and will not be condoned”.
“We want to assure the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted to ascertain the extent of these fraudulent activities and to identify any individual(s) or unscrupulous syndicate(s) involved. We are dedicated to ensuring that only the most qualified and deserving candidates are selected to serve in the NA,” the statement added.
He assured that the Army would work with prosecutorial agencies of government to prosecute the suspects.
“The NA will continue to work closely with relevant authorities to ensure that those responsible for this misconduct are held accountable. The culprits involved will be handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agency.
The army then sternly warned “all prospective candidates to adhere to the principles of honesty and integrity throughout the recruitment process, as any attempt to manipulate the recruitment process will be met with the full force of the law”.
“The NA remains resolute in its mission to recruit the best and most deserving individuals to serve our nation. We appreciate the support and cooperation of the public, as we work to maintain the integrity of our recruitment process.”
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