Kwara Assembly Investigates Impersonation of Kwarans During Army Recruitment

The Kwara State House of Assembly has directed its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Judiciary to thoroughly investigate the impersonation of Kwarans during recruitment into the Nigerian Army.

The House took the decision following a Motion titled “Shortchanging Kwarans through Substituting of Candidates during recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Army” raised by a member representing Kaiama/Kemanji/ Wajibe Constituency Hon. Ahmed Ibn Mohammed.

Reading the resolutions of the House, the Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad who described the practice as fraudulent, serious and capable of mortgaging the future of youths of the State, said the legislature has mandated its Committee to investigate the fraudulent practice.

The investigation committee is expected to visit the recruitment centre in the military barrack, with a view to finding out the veracity of the claims and the current process of recruitment into the Army.

According to the speaker, the visit would assist the legislature in establishing whether the affected candidates obtained the State of Origin Certificates through racketeering in the Army or through the back door.

Dr. Ahmad expressed confidence that the investigation by the committee would assist the House in proffering enduring solutions to the fraudulent practices and to protect the future of the youth of the state.

Raising the Motion, Hon. Ibn Mohammed had recalled that the House had in December, 2015 unanimously urged the state government to petition the military authority about the incident and called on the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the state to prosecute those identified to be impersonating Kwarans, especially at the level of recruitment exercise and other job opportunities.

Hon Mohammed said he was disturbed that the flagrant disregarding of the House resolution had led to repeated practices, thereby making the objective of KWIRS on citizenship registration unrealisable.

Other members who contributed on the motion expressed worry and urged the House to institute an Ad- Hoc Committee to investigate and invite the Secretary to the State Government as well as the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to brief them on steps so far taken to implement the earlier resolutions of the house and why the identified culprits as contained in the earlier resolutions had not been prosecuted.