Several recruits have been removed from Ghana’s security services training institutions after verification exposed discrepancies and outright forgeries in the WASSCE results they used to secure admission.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed disclosed that the affected recruits had submitted doctored results slips or fraudulent academic credentials during the recruitment process.
According to him, the discrepancies were uncovered through verification conducted with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), as authorities intensified checks on the academic qualifications presented by applicants.
The Minister said the government would not stop at dismissing individuals found to have manipulated their results. He indicated that such persons could be placed on a red list to prevent them from gaining employment in the country’s security services in the future.
Some of the offenders could also be prosecuted for their actions, he warned.
Muntaka made the revelation while speaking at the commissioning of newly constructed classroom facilities at the Asokore Mampong Roman Catholic School.
He expressed concern that applicants seeking to join institutions entrusted with protecting the country would resort to fraudulent means to meet recruitment requirements.
“It’s so shocking that a lot of people forged their results. I don’t know how they think that they will be employed in the Police, Prisons, Immigration, Fire Service, Narcotics Control Commission, or Armed Forces, and the certificate you present won’t be checked,” he said.
The Interior Minister stressed that the ongoing verification process had already led to the dismissal of several recruits who were found to have altered their academic records.
“As we speak, many have been dismissed from the training because they have doctored their results slips,” he added.
He therefore urged prospective applicants to be honest about their educational qualifications and to carefully assess whether they meet the prescribed requirements before applying to join any of the security services.
The development signals a tougher approach by authorities towards academic fraud in security service recruitment, with applicants expected to undergo closer scrutiny to ensure that only persons with genuine qualifications are admitted into the various training institutions.
