Nigerian Newsday

By Idris Ahmed, Lokoja

The Nigerian Prisons Service in Kogi State has embarked on recruitment exercise in which 88 persons out of the over 2000 persons that presented themselves would be recruited.

According to the comptroller of the prisons, Kogi State Command, Mr. Yahaya Bello, about 18 females, 10 professionals including drivers, mechanics as well as National Certificate of Education (NCE) holders would be recruited.

Mr. Bello stated that the recruits must not be poeple of questionable integrity, who must posses the needed credentials and be indigenes of the state to qualify for recruitment.

He however, dismissed the allegation that the command demanded and received bribes of over fifty thousand naira from individual applicants before considering them for recruitment.

The comptroller explained that he and indeed the command has not been approached with, or bribe with, money by people seeking to get employed into the Nigerian Prisons Service.

Mr. Bello decried the attitude of Nigerians who believed that "unless you give bribe or have a godfather, you cannot have your way".

He therefore emphasized that the recruitment exercise would be fair to all sections of the state, admitting however, that pressures were being mounted by third parties on behalf of some prospective candidates.

Mr. Bello warned officers of the command and members of the public to desist from rumour mongering about happenings at state prisons headquarters.

Recently, rumours rented the air that there was massive bribery at the Kogi State Prisons headquarters during the on-going recruitment exercise.