The Nigerian Army has offered a detailed explanation of how it arrested Northerners, mostly from Kaduna State, seeking to use the slot of Lagos State to enlist in its 86 Regular Recruits Intake.
The spokesman of the Service, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, offered the explanation in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement followed a viral video in which some of the prospective candidates, who did not even understand Yoruba language, which is spoken in Lagos State, had indigenes certificates they presented for enlistment during their screening.
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Nwachukwu said in the statement on Wednesday: “The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) 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 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 scrutinizing 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.
“We wish to inform the general public that the fraudulent act perpetrated by the three candidates who attempted to secure vacancies designated for candidates with Lagos State indigeneship is 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 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 NA is committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is served in this matter.
“Consequently, we urge 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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