Navy arrests 12 in Akwa Ibom over illegal recruitment training

A joint operation in Akwa Ibom State halted an alleged illegal recruitment and training scheme and led to the arrest of 12 people, Nigeria’s Navy said.

The operation took place on August 31 in Uwa West, Essien Udim Local Government Area, after security agencies received intelligence about a purported Nigeria Coast Guard Academy. Personnel from Nigerian Navy Ship Jubilee worked with the Army’s 2 Brigade and 6 Battalion, as well as the Akwa Ibom State Police Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit.

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The Nigerian Navy, in collaboration with sister security agencies, has foiled an illegal recruitment and training scheme operating outside the framework of recognised law and regulatory authority, with the potential to defraud unsuspecting members of the public in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

The team raided the Merchant Seaman Academy, which investigators said was being used to recruit and train people presented as provisional cadets of the purported agency. Preliminary findings indicated that the activity lacked legal or regulatory authorisation, raising concerns that members of the public could be drawn into the scheme through false representations.

The 12 people arrested comprised six suspected organisers or officials, five recruits or trainees and one cadet of the Merchant Seaman Academy. The Navy said all were handed over to the Violent Crime Response Unit for further investigation and necessary legal action.

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The operation resulted in the arrest of 12 persons, comprising six suspected organisers/officials, five recruits or trainees and one cadet of the Merchant Seaman Academy.