Lagos State Government has called for the arrest and trial of six northern candidates participating in the Nigerian Army recruitment process who claimed to be indigenes of the state.
A viral video surfaced earlier on Wednesday showing six candidates in the recruitment process, who hailed from Kaduna State, claiming Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos Island Local Government Area, and Oshodi Isolo Local Government Area, respectively, as their local governments of origin.
By claiming to hail from Lagos, the candidates intended to secure the slots designated to Lagos State indigenes.
The video sparked reactions from indigenes of Lagos, with many saying that Lagosians are being short-changed in the recruitment process.
Responding to an inquiry by our correspondent in a telephone chat on Wednesday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said the matter had not been officially reported to the state government.
He, however, said any attempt by a non-Lagosian to claim Lagos indigeneship was criminal and demanded that the police should arrest and try the culprits if found culpable.
“We don’t have the report yet. But it is criminal to attempt to claim that you are from Lagos when you are not. It is what the police should take up, arrest the said candidates, and try them,” Omotoso said, adding that “it is perjury and is punishable under the law of the land.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army confirmed the arrest of the six candidates.
A statement on Wednesday by the Director, of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said the arrest of the candidates was a testament to the transparency and credibility of the recruitment process.
