No fewer than 47 job seekers in Cross River State have lost over N51.8 million to fraudsters who sold fake Local Council jobs during the cancelled 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
 
The scam was uncovered after a state government panel investigated complaints and public outrage over irregularities in the recruitment process.
 
Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Eyo Nsa Ekpo, disclosed this yesterday on Let’s Talk Nigeria on Sparkling FM.
 
“The panel found out that as many as 47 victims were cajoled, frightened and intimidated to part with over N51.8 million for fake local council jobs,” Ekpo said.
 
According to Ekpo, victims were made to pay between N100,000 and N1.5 million depending on the position applied for.
 
“Some of those who applied for senior positions allegedly paid as much as N1.3 million and N1.5 million to secure appointments,” he said.
 
Investigations revealed that the perpetrators issued fake employment letters with government letterheads and forged signatures to convince applicants they had been employed.
 
“They also threatened victims not to speak out, telling them they would be blacklisted if they did,” Ekpo added. “Many of these victims came to open up and submitted evidence which the panel verified. We guaranteed all whistleblowers security and confidentiality.”
 
The panel also found that some alleged fraudsters manipulated the process to slot in family members and people who were not residents of Cross River State.
 
Following the panel’s report, the state government cancelled the entire 2024/2025 recruitment exercise. Ekpo said the government has begun identifying those allegedly involved for questioning, prosecution and appropriate sanctions.
 
“This will serve as a deterrent. Government jobs are not for sale,” he stated. “Anyone who asks you to pay money for a job should be reported to the Commission or security agencies.”
 
To salvage the process, the Commission said it will retain 821 applicants from the earlier exercise after proper verification.