The Minority in Parliament has launched a strong critique against the centralisation of recruitment into Ghana’s security services, labelling the process as deeply flawed and demanding immediate refunds for the hundreds of thousands of applicants who paid fees. This condemnation follows revelations by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, indicating that despite approximately 105,000 young people successfully qualifying for the medical stage of the ongoing recruitment, only a mere 5,000 positions are actually available across the services.

According to Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the ranking member on Parliament's Defence and Interior Committee, the Ministry for the Interior improperly seized control of the recruitment process. He argued that instead of allowing individual security agencies like the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and the Ghana Prisons Service to manage their own enlistment under ministerial oversight, the Interior Minister unilaterally centralised the entire exercise. Rev Fordjour highlighted the alarming exclusion of security service heads, stating, “The IGP was not involved, the Chief Fire Officer was not involved, and the Comptroller-General of Immigration was not involved. They are all watching the minister explain the process.”

The centralisation has ignited a major controversy, especially given the overwhelming number of participants. The Assin South MP claimed that more than 500,000 applicants each paid a GH¢200 fee, leading to an estimated collection of over GH¢100 million into the ministry’s coffers. He vehemently declared this practice fraudulent, questioning, “When you know you have space for only 5,000 people, why take money from over 500,000 applicants? That in itself is fraudulent.” Rev Fordjour further described the situation as the “biggest recruitment scam,” accusing the ministry of profiting immensely from Ghanaian youth.

He also suggested that the ministry’s decision to increase the age limit to 35 was politically motivated, contributing to the