The Cross River State Local Government Service Commission has arrested two individuals for presenting forged employment letters during the ongoing recruitment of council workers.
The Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Mr Samuel Egban, disclosed the arrests during a press briefing in Calabar on Tuesday.
Egban said the suspects were caught with counterfeit appointment letters bearing the commission’s name. He described them as members of a syndicate seeking to defraud job seekers while damaging the commission’s reputation.
According to him, the suspects have been handed over to security agencies for further investigation. One has been charged to court and is scheduled to appear on 8 September, while the other remains in custody at the State Housing Police Station.
“We are using this as a note of warning to others: we are after them, and unless they stop these illegal activities, we will catch up with them,” Egban warned.
The Commission’s Chairman, Mr. Darlington Eyo, had earlier revealed that several complaints were received from members of the public regarding employment racketeers. He said some applicants had been deceived into paying between ₦500,000 and ₦600,000 in exchange for non-existent jobs in the local government service.
Eyo emphasised that the recruitment process is transparent and fair. “Even the child of nobody has the opportunity to be employed,” he said, adding that the commission will continue to expose fraudsters and those patronising them.
He explained that while it is possible for outsiders to pose as agents of the commission, measures have been put in place to detect such schemes.
“The good thing is that anyone who patronises these criminals will be fished out, as our system is designed to expose them,” he assured.
Eyo also disclosed that in the past year, the commission uncovered 800 ghost workers, stressing that its drive to sanitise the local government service is ongoing.
