NPS allegedly charging graduates N650,000 each for backdoor employment

According to Leadership newspaper, the comptroller-general of the service, Ahmed Ja’afaru and other top shots in the NPS are running the secret recruitment.

They allegedly collect as much as N650,000 each from intakes to gain employment into the service.

Over 3,800 people are said to have been recruited underground between October 2016 and now.

Most of the new employees have undergone training and posted to various prisons across the federation, it was learnt.

The report said the second batch of the backdoor recruits are currently undergoing training at some of the prisons service's training schools.

The newspaper cited a top officer at the service’s national headquarters, Abuja, who said the new recruits were hired into various rank categories, including assistant superintendent of prisons (ASP), inspector of prisons, prison assistant, among others.

The source explained that degree holders are charged N650,000, higher national diploma holders pay N550,000 and school certificate holders pay between N350,000 and N400,000.

"It has reached a point where the illegality should be exposed otherwise cash-strapped job seeking applicants may never be employed. Nigerians should know that there is periodic backdoor recruitment exercise in which positions are simply put up for sale, while top officials fill their pockets and bank accounts in the process," the source said.

Citing another officer, the report said bribe-for-posting-and-promotion scheme is also going on at the service, as well as another racket which ensures that high profile inmates enjoy uncommon privileges.

ALSO READ: Inmates increase from 65,000 to 72, 000

The source said prison authorities use foot soldiers, corrupt warders and notorious inmates to carry out the illegal activities.

"They have fixed price tags for postings, promotions and entry-level jobs," he claimed.

He also alleged that the promotion of "uncooperative officers" is being delayed for refusing to "jump on the band-wagon of dubious officers who exchange money for promotion."

He added: "Even the deployment of officers to prisons nationwide is often influenced by how much you get to pay and not by merit. I’m specifically talking about sensitive positions like that of deputy-comptrollers of prisons, chief warder and yard masters. These are normally those who not only divert funds and foodstuffs meant for inmates, but also use their fronts to extort money from inmates and their relations. This is massively responsible for frequent complaints of poor welfare of inmates, poor maintenance of facilities and gross abuse of prisons’ rules and of course jailbreak."

The public relations officer of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Francis Enobore, however, described the allegations as "wicked" and "image-slandering."

"NPS has no reason to do underground employment. The general public will be well informed as and when due. If any job seeker is patronising any scammer out of desperation, then such applicants should desist from encouraging and enriching these criminals," he said.

On the alleged ongoing training of the second batch of the secret recruits, Enobore said, "our training colleges are always open to staff to pass through different phases of trainings."

"In fact, our training colleges re-opened in the month of February to enable our personnel meet up with missed courses. So, our facilities are always busy. Those training there are not secret recruits as falsely speculated.

"If your sources have reliable evidence on these biased, discrediting and wicked image slandering allegations against the prisons boss, then let them make such public and win Nigerians’ support."

Enobore noted that officers involved in various corrupt practices have since been prosecuted.