C' River Job Scam: 47 Victims Lose ₦51.8m To Fake LG Appointments
By Missang AKPET
No fewer than 47 job seekers in Cross River State have been defrauded of over ₦51.8 million by fraudsters who sold fake local government appointments during the now-aborted 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
The Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Dr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, made the disclosure on Tuesday on a magazine programme on one of the radio stations in the state.
Ekpo said a government investigative panel set up by the state governor Senator Bassey Otu found that desperate applicants were coerced into paying between ₦100,000 and ₦1.5 million for non-existent jobs.
“Those seeking senior positions paid as much as ₦1.3 million and ₦1.5 million,”.
“The perpetrators went as far as issuing forged employment letters on fake government letterheads. Some victims were threatened with blacklisting if they dared to speak out” he stated.
According to the Ekpo, verified evidence was submitted by victims to the panel which showed clearly that there were defrauded. He assured that the identity of whistleblowers would be protected by the state government.
The panel further uncovered alleged attempts to compromise the recruitment process through the insertion of relatives and non-indigenes into the final list.
In the wake of the findings, the state government has cancelled the entire 2024/2025 LG recruitment exercise. Those implicated are to be identified, questioned and prosecuted.
However, Ekpo disclosed that 821 applicants from the previous exercise would be retained following proper verification.
To restore confidence, the government has approved a fresh recruitment of 4,000 personnel, which officials say will be conducted via a transparent, fully digital process.
Ekpo cautioned residents against patronizing job racketeers, warning that Government jobs are not for sale and anyone who asks for money to secure employment is a fraudster.
