Two Arrested For Seeking GAF Enlistment With Fake Certificates

Two persons have been arrested in Tamale for allegedly using fake certificates to seek recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). The two used certificates purportedly issued to them after sitting the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSSCE). They were arrested by policemen at the Tamale Sports Stadium where the GAF is currently screening over 2,000 applicants for recruitment into the service. The suspects, whose names were given as Phillip Amanuvor and Abdul Awumbik, have been taken into custody by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Northern Regional Police Command. Four other applicants, who were also found to have forged their certificates, escaped arrest on sensing danger. The Director of Public Relations for the 6 Garrison, WO William Nyanteh, told journalists covering the recruitment exercise that the two were picked up after it was realised during the documentation stage that the certificates they submitted were forged and that they intended to deceive the recruitment officers. He said the other four realised that they were to suffer similar fate and so disappeared through one of the gates before they could be apprehended. WO Nyanteh said following the incident, a warning was issued to the rest of the applicants against the use of forged documents and that after the warning, the number of people who turned up for day two of the exercise seemed to have reduced slightly. He said the personnel in charge of the recruitment exercise had been trained to identify fake certificates and other documentations and, therefore, assured Ghanaians that the GAF had enough checks to ensure that people recruited into the service were duly qualified. The screening exercise began on Monday and would end on Friday. A total of 2,210 applicants between the ages of 18 and 23 were selected to undergo the screening exercise in Tamale after they were shortlisted. Aside from the physical examination, the applicants will take a written test and their documents will be screened to guarantee their authenticity.