The Lagos State Government is urging the arrest and prosecution of six northern candidates involved in the Nigerian Army recruitment process, who falsely claimed to be natives of the state. A viral video that surfaced on Wednesday exposed these candidates from Kaduna State, asserting Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos Island Local Government Area, and Oshodi Isolo Local Government Area as their places of origin in an attempt to secure recruitment slots designated for Lagos State indigenes.
The fraudulent claims triggered strong reactions from Lagos indigenes, who expressed concerns about the perceived injustice in the recruitment process. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, emphasized the criminality of falsely asserting Lagos indigeneship and urged the police to apprehend and prosecute the culprits for perjury, a punishable offense.
Former Minister of Communications and ex-General Officer Commanding, Three Armoured Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (retd.), called upon Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to investigate what he termed a “violation of the constitutional rights of indigenes of Lagos State.” Olanrewaju criticized the procedural flaws, deeming them constitutionally and democratically unacceptable. He urged responsible agencies, including the Governance Advisory Council of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, to intervene and prevent the issuance of fake indigene identities to non-indigenous residents in Lagos.
In his statement on Wednesday, Olanrewaju highlighted the need for a comprehensive review of the IBILE indigeneship application conditions, which he deemed porous and prone to abuse. He called for the Chairman of the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area to step aside for an impartial investigation and requested the Executive Governor, Attorney General, and Commissioner for Justice to present legislation establishing an autonomous “Verification System Unit.” This unit, staffed by IBILE Indigenous personnel, would operate in the five divisions of the state, liaising with the Armed Forces, linking with the Governor’s Office, and overseeing the recruitment process. Olanrewaju proposed that this approach, akin to practices in northern states, could mitigate abuses associated with the allocation of Lagos State slots and would require collective action, purposeful desire, and political willpower to be implemented effectively.
