Teacher Recruitment Scam: Ondo suspends three Senior officials

The suspended Ondo officials, two directors and a deputy director, were relieved of their duties by order of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation into the alleged job racketeering.

The officials, it was alleged,  collected between ₦500,000 and ₦700,000 from unsuspecting applicants, depending on their qualifications.

The controversy came to light after several individuals protested their exclusion from the ongoing biometric verification process for newly recruited teachers. It was later discovered that many of the protesters had presented forged appointment letters.

In a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, the government clarified that the affected individuals were not among the more than 2,000 teachers legitimately employed and already deployed.

According to Adeniyan, internal investigations revealed that the three officials at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had colluded with external parties to issue fake appointment and posting letters in exchange for money.

“The attention of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been drawn to reports of a protest by individuals claiming they were unjustly excluded from employment during the recent SUBEB recruitment process.

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

“These defrauded applicants were identified during biometric verification and informed that their documents were fake.

“Disciplinary measures have already been taken against the three SUBEB insiders found to have colluded with outsiders in defrauding applicants,” Adeniyan stated.