FFS Warns Nigerians Of Job Racketeers

The leadership of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) has issued a stern warning to desperate job seekers to steer clear of employment racketeers.

The FFS boss, Abdulganiyu Jaji, in a statement expressed deep concern over the rising cases of job racketeering involving unscrupulous agents who deceive desperate job seekers with fake appointment and invitation letters.

The CG emphasised that the Service has never authorised any third party to conduct recruitment on its behalf and reiterated that all official processes are handled transparently through recognised government platforms.

The FFS boss stressed that anyone caught presenting forged documents in a bid to secure employment will face immediate arrest and prosecution.

He lamented the damage such actions inflicts on the FFS credibility and the emotional and financial toll it brings on the victims.

“Let me shock you, the Federal Fire Service, through its vigilant oversight, uncovered five names of desperate job seekers who managed to insert themselves into the IPPIS list without having any original invitation or appointment letters”.

“On behalf of the Board, I challenge anyone in possession of a genuine appointment letter who claims to have been unjustly denied the opportunity to come forward with it.”

“The truth is, we were extremely thorough with the entire recruitment process. In fact, we went as far as inviting those individuals who illicitly made it onto the IPPIS platform, and they openly confessed to engaging in underground dealings. Every possible loophole was sealed as we meticulously cross-checked the original master list against both the final documented list and the IPPIS entries.”
Interestingly, when we uncovered and seized several of these fake letters, we made the strategic decision to quietly suspend the documentation process without any public announcement. To our surprise, the fraudsters—completely unaware of our move—went ahead and printed even more fake letters. We could only watch and laugh, knowing they had already exposed themselves.”

Jaji , while reaffirming the service’s commitment to integrity, called on the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities and assured that genuine opportunities within the agency will always be publicly announced through proper, verifiable channels

“”Each time we are made aware of the alarming rise in fake recruitment activities being carried out by fraudsters, we take it upon ourselves to promptly alert Nigerians—particularly desperate job seekers—that these fraudulent recruitment claims into the Service are not from us. We strongly warn the public to be cautious and avoid engaging with these scammers who falsely present themselves as representatives of the Federal Fire Service.

“Referring to the recently concluded recruitment exercise, it’s worth recalling that the immediate past Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), Ja’afaru Ahmed, issued an official statement urging candidates to check their status on the Board’s portal, cdcfib.career, on the designated date in December 2024. The Board had specifically advised applicants for the Federal Fire Service (FFS) recruitment to visit the portal to confirm their final selection and download their invitation letters directly.”

“Having made this clear, anyone claiming to have been invited for documentation but whose name does not appear on the official master list has, without a doubt, fallen victim to scammers.”

“It is disheartening that, despite repeated warnings, some job seekers continue to willingly fall into the hands of fraudsters who go as far as creating fake websites, selling bogus recruitment forms, and extorting large sums of money under the guise of processing employment.

No credible government agency would issue letters of invitation to successful candidates only to turn around and cancel them. That is completely unrealistic—and let me be clear—the Federal Fire Service has never been, and will never be, involved in such misconduct.”

“We have now resolved to begin arresting and publicly parading individuals who present fake invitation letters during documentation and screening exercises. Alarmingly, some even go as far as submitting forged appointment letters.”

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to job seekers, especially our hardworking youths, to remain patient. The government is actively working to create meaningful opportunities to engage them.”

According to the CG, the Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is committed to ensuring that the years the youths have invested in education do not go to waste.

PR/Nkiru Njemanze