Army boss implicates military in recruitment scam

The Ghana Armed Forces has implicated some of its officers in the fraudulent recruitment into the military.

Four people are under lock and key following Starr News’ investigations over fake military enlistments a few weeks ago. The revelation follows the interdiction of the Police Human Resource boss COP Patrick Timbilla over a police recruitment scam.

Speaking to Starr News, the Commanding Officer of the Army Recruitment Training School, Lt Colonel Augustine Asiedu, said the masterminds are non-military personnel but will not rule out the complicity of some army officers.

“For the past two years that I have been here I have not received any illegal entry but what I know is that some people outside who are not military personnel do all sort of things because the youth are eager to get employment. They lure them and collect money from them,” Lt Col Asiedu stated.

He added: “And some of our personnel to, I’ll not deny it, are also involved but I cannot pinpoint because I don’t know those who are actually involved… I know that the system will fish them out and will be sanctioned accordingly.”

Lt Col Asiedu advised would-be army personnel to always “look out for the recruitment adverts in the dailies and the electronic media. They should make sure that they qualify and should not pay money to a second person because the military doesn’t collect any money apart from the ones that you pay for the buying of the scratch cards.

“Even if a military person comes to you to say they can aid you, don’t accept that because the person is not in a position to do that.”

A victim who shared his story with Starr News last week narrated that he was directed by a military officer to pay Ghc2000 in the hope that he would be recruited into the army, but has not been able to secure admission, despite paying the monies requested of him.