Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has issued a stern warning to job seekers to stop paying money out of desperation to anyone for employment slots in the agency.
He issued the warning during a media chat held in Abuja to announce the various venues across the country where the agency’s recruitment Computer Based Aptitude Test, (CBAT), will be conducted on Monday.
Babandede expressed concern that despite the agency’s zero-tolerance to corruption, some officers have been found guilty of extorting desperate job seekers to the tune of millions of naira.
“Immigration jobs are not for sale and we have arrested so many people in respect of fraudulent activities and deception about our recruitment,” Babandede said.
“Just last week, I reported to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, (ICPC), an immigration officer a correction personnel because they were duping unsuspecting members if the public and offering them jobs that do not exist. They have collected up to N15 million from job seekers.”
The CG warned that “anyone who has asked you for money before or now in respect of recruitment, send his name to us through our SERVICOM site.
“There are so many fake websites purporting to be ours but our own is the one that ends with .gov.ng, so you must be very very careful and stop being too desperate for jobs such that you get duped.”
Giving an update on the 2019/2020 recruitment that was suspended due to Covid-19 concerns, he said the recruitment exercise has fully resumed and the second batch of the interview, a CBAT would commence on Monday across six locations in the geopolitical zones.
The zones and locations are South-West, Lagos, North-East, Bauchi, North-West, Kano and South-South is Nitsa. Others are South-East, Orlu and North Central, Minna.
According to figures provided by the NIS, 334, 554 successful applications were received, 75, 154 were invited to the first interview while 45, 323 successfully attended the interview out of which 6, 105 were successful.
Babandede however said only 4, 120 applicants will be employed by the NIS at the end of the entire recruitment exercise and applicants are expected to go online and check their status once the results are announced.