The Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building has called for the prosecution of applicants found to have used forged academic certificates to gain admission into Ghana’s security services training institutions.
The call follows an announcement by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, that some recruits had been dismissed after being found to have submitted forged or doctored West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
In a statement, Executive Director of the Jatikay Centre, Adib Saani, welcomed the dismissal of recruits whose credentials were proven fraudulent but argued that the action alone was insufficient.
Mr Saani said the incident raised serious questions about the recruitment and vetting processes of Ghana’s security services.
According to him, recruitment systems should be designed to verify applicants’ academic credentials with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) at an early stage, rather than allowing applicants with questionable documents to progress to training before verification.
He described the situation as an issue of fairness, institutional integrity and public confidence, particularly if qualified applicants remain waiting while individuals who allegedly used fraudulent documents gain entry into training institutions.
The Centre further urged the relevant authorities to investigate the cases thoroughly and prosecute anyone found to have knowingly forged or used fraudulent academic certificates.
Mr Saani stressed that forgery should not be treated solely as a breach of recruitment requirements, arguing that it could constitute a criminal offence.
He also raised national security concerns over the possibility of individuals with integrity issues gaining access to security institutions, where personnel may be entrusted with weapons, intelligence, restricted facilities and sensitive information.
The Jatikay Centre is therefore calling for an urgent audit of the security services recruitment and vetting process.
It wants authorities to establish how many fraudulent applications were detected, how many applicants managed to get through the process, how many remain in training and what measures are being introduced to prevent similar incidents.
The Centre said its position was clear: authorities must verify applicants before recruitment, conduct thorough vetting before training and prosecute proven cases of fraud.
“The security of the Republic begins with the integrity of the people we recruit to protect it,” Mr Saani said.
Read the statement below:
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