The Nigerian Army has commenced an investigation into fraudulent activities by applicants of the ongoing 86 Regular Recruits shortlist.
The probe was launched to identify the extent of fraudulent activities by candidates or syndicates.
In a statement on Thursday, January 5, Army spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Oyenma Nwachukwu said the investigation was instituted after three candidates were caught attempting to secure vacancies designated for candidates with Lagos state indigeneship.
Nwachukwu said the act was a serious security breach which he said would not be condoned, as the Nigerian Army was dedicated to “ensuring that only the most qualified and deserving candidates are selected to serve in the Army.”
Nwachukwu said: “The arrest of the fraudulent candidates, whose video went viral on social media, was a result of the commitment of the Nigerian Army in 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, in order to ensure only true indigenes of a particular State are recruited, using the slots of that state and not non- 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 scrutinising the candidates’ State of origin, to ascertain the genuineness of their indigeneship claims.
“The duty of the State Representative is to identify non-indigenes amongst candidates applying for recruitment and this is applicable in other States of the Federation.”
He admonished prospective candidates to be honest and show integrity throughout the recruitment process, as any attempt to manipulate the recruitment process would be met with stiff penalty.
He said: “The culprits involved will be handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agency.
“The Nigerian Army is committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is served in this matter.
“The Nigerian Army 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.”
