The Chairman of the Delta State Civil Service Commission, Lady Roseline Amioku, has raised alarm over fraudulent practices by some workers seeking to illegally extend their service years.

Speaking during an interaction with management staff of the Delta Printing and Publishing Corporation (DPPC), publishers of The Pointer Newspaper, led by General Manager Mrs. Rosemary Nwaebuni, Amioku revealed shocking discoveries made during the ongoing staff verification exercise.

“It has been a very good experience for me. I have learnt a lot of things I didn’t previously know about the workers in the state. We are gradually discovering so much about both civil and public servants. With eagle eyes, we’ve been able to identify those falsifying their age and using fake documents. Some affidavits look genuine at first, but once you dig into their files, the discrepancies become clear,” she said.

Citing examples, the commission boss disclosed cases of workers who lied about their ages to remain in service.

“For example, someone claimed to be born in 1974. But when we checked timelines—when he finished primary school and so on—it was impossible. He eventually confessed that he was actually born in 1960. That means he added 14 years to his age just to remain in service,” she narrated.

She also revealed cases of forged documents being used to gain employment and promotions.

“There was a woman who used her daughter’s certificate and even got promoted with it. At first, she denied it, but when I called for police intervention, she confessed, saying her daughter refused the job, so she took it instead. I told her to write her resignation letter immediately.

“Another woman brought a forged class register. Her name was inserted into it, photocopied, and presented to us. When I confronted her, she begged to be quietly retired.

“We also caught people with three fake certificates from one agency just a few days ago. Two of those people had only been employed in 2023,” Amioku revealed.

On the number of affected workers, she admitted the figures were already alarming.

“Quite a lot. In fact, I have lost count of fake First School Leaving Certificates—it runs into hundreds. We apply instant judgment. As soon as we spot discrepancies, the person is removed from the payroll right there,” she said.

She added that those found guilty of fraud would not be rewarded with benefits.

“Someone who broke service rules cannot expect to be rewarded. Some may even refund salaries earned illegally. Imagine someone born in 1959 still working in the system today! When we find such cases, we retire them immediately without benefits,” she explained.

So far, the verification exercise has only covered a quarter of the state workforce, but Amioku insisted the level of fraud already uncovered was massive.

“Only about 25 per cent. Yet what we have uncovered already is massive. This shows how entrenched the problem is. But we are determined to clean up the system,” she concluded.

NAPTIP Rescues 25 Women from Suspected Labour Trafficking to Saudi Arabia

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 25 women believed to be victims of labour exploitation while they were being trafficked to Saudi Arabia.

NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, confirmed the operation in a statement on Monday, noting that the victims were intercepted in front of a popular hotel in Wuse II, Abuja, where they had gathered while awaiting their trafficker.