A middle-aged man, Kareem Isiaka Taiwo from Ibadan North Local Government was on Monday morning arrested by security agents in Ibadan as he made efforts to defraud people by claiming to be the recruitment officer for the Oyo State security outfit.
Taiwo had on Sunday pasted a notice at the Adamasingba Stadium, venue of the State’s recruitment screening center with his name and phone numbers urging those interested in joining the Amotekun Corps to contact him.
The management of the outfit got wind of the notice on Monday morning and started a subtle trail of the culprit, who was apprehended at 11:45 am and handed over to the security agents for prosecution.
When asked what prompted the act, Kareem Isiaka who claimed to be selling bags of cement said “it was the work of the devil” adding that he regretted his act.
He confessed that only one person has contacted him through his number on employment.
The Chairman, Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps), Gen. Kunle Toogun (Rtd.) in his reaction said the general public should be wary of fraudsters in their quest to become members of the corps.
He however used the occasion to inform journalists that screening of applicants into the corps would continue as the exercise had just covered only the Ibadan city axis.
“Those that missed their screening have been called to join others for their fresh screening, this will easily pave way for equal participation, although we have encountered so many challenges since we started, some came with forged certificates and documents, you have seen the one that just happened, but we are unrelenting.
“The screening will continue with the fewer cities, the Oke-Ogun zones one and two, Ido, Ibarapa among others, we want to make the exercise as open and less cumbersome to applicants as possible, the governor has demanded openness and exactly that we are giving,” he said.
The screening exercise had commenced in the last week at the Adamasingba Stadium, where applicants tendered their certificates to show their readiness to work with the outfit.