Recruitment: Ebonyi Hunters’ Commander Distances Self From Alleged N41m Fraud

Ebonyi State commander of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service, NHFSS, Mr Larry Igwe, has distanced himself from the alleged diversion of N41 million released to the outfit by Governor Francis Nwifuru for the purchase of forms for intending members and old members of the outfit.

According to the state commander, the N41 million released by the state governor was also meant for other logistics in the ongoing recruitment exercise of security service personnel.

Igwe, who clarified this in his office in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, confirmed that the governor had released the funds for the forms and other logistics and maintained that he remitted the money to the national secretariat of the service as paid by the governor into the Ebonyi State account of the outfit.

“It was on the 8th of February 2024 that Nwifuru approved the request I made to help improve our numerical strength like other states in the recruitment exercise of the service.

“We are not up to four hundred members. We cried to the governor, Francis Nwifuru, to help us recruit more people and get forms for people to participate in the recruitment exercise. He paid for 2,600 forms for new members and an additional 299 forms for old members who had not paid theirs. The money, N41 million, was released. It was paid to our state account and later disbursed as directed. In the paramilitary, you must obey the last order. This money was meant to procure forms; apart from that, other things are involved to give you the expected result,” he said.

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Igwe revealed that he was summoned by the Department of State Security (DSS)) and the Nigeria Police. He added that after narrating to them the actual situation in the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service, NHFSS recruitment exercise in Ebonyi State, he was allowed to go.

Some service members had petitioned security agencies in the state, accusing Mr Igwe of extorting money from intending members of the outfit amounting to about N39 million and calling for a probe into the allegation.