Fake Amotekun recruitment officer arrested in Ibadan

By SULEIMAN SHEHU

The Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps) has apprehended a middle-aged man who allegedly impersonated as a recruitment officer for the regional security outfit in the state.

This was contained in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Ibadan by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Wasiu Olatubosun.

Olatunbosun said that the suspect, in an attempt to scam potential candidates for the job, on Sunday posted a notice at the Adamasingba Stadium, venue of the recruitment with his name and phone numbers, urging interested people to contact him.

“The management of the security outfit (Amotekun) got wind of the notice on Monday morning and started a subtle trail of the culprit and he was apprehended at 11:45am and handed over to the security agents for prosecution.

“When asked what prompted the act, the sobered man who claimed to sell cement, said it was the work of the devil and regretted his act.

“The suspect said that only one person had so far contacted him through his number,” Olatunbosun said.

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.

Toogun, however, used the occasion to inform the public 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 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 less cities, the Oke-Ogun zones I and II, Ido, Ibarapa among others, we want to make the exercise as open and less cumbersome to applicants as possible, the governor has demanded for openness and exactly that we are giving,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the screening exercise had commenced in the last one week at the Adamasingba stadium, where applicants tendered their certificates to show their readiness to work with the outfit. (NAN)