Three officials suspended over alleged teachers’ recruitment fraud in Ondo

News update

Three officials of the Ondo state government, have been suspended over alleged job scam in the recent teachers’ recruitment exercise.

The officials suspended, pending the outcome of investigation, according to findings include two directors and a deputy director.

Also, governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has ordered a full scale investigation into the alleged scam and has directed the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to invite the defrauded applicants for a meeting and has set up a committee to further investigate the case.

The state government had recently embarked on the recruitment of teachers into primary and secondary schools across the 18 local government areas of the state.

But some of the newly recruited teachers, last week, protest against their exclusion from the ongoing biometric verification exercise for teachers across the state.

The protesters were told that their appointment letters were forged.

But government in a swift response said that they are not teachers but victims of job scam.

Following public outcry, the governor, through his Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the state government had begun probe into the matter.

Adeniyan said that three officers were found to have connived with external fraudsters to issue fake employment and posting letters to job seekers in exchange for money.

According to him the protesters were not among the more than 2,000 teachers legitimately recruited for primary and secondary schools, all of whom have already resumed work.

“The attention of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been drawn to reports of a protest by individuals claiming to have been denied employment during the recent recruitment of teachers by the Ondo State Government through the State Universal Basic Education Board.

“To clarify, those who protested were not employed teachers but applicants defrauded by scammers who issued fake employment and posting letters after collecting money from them.

“These defrauded applicants were identified during the biometric verification process and informed that their letters were fake.

“Already, disciplinary action has been taken against three SUBEB insiders who allegedly colluded with external individuals to defraud the applicants.

“Governor Aiyedatiwa has directed SUBEB management to invite the victims of the fraud for a meeting, while a committee has been constituted to further investigate the matter.