The Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism, Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, has commended Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak for setting up a committee to investigate recruitment procedures within the security services.
Speaking on Prime News on ABC News GH on Thursday, February 13, he emphasized the need for full public backing for the initiative.
“The fact that the minister has decided to set up a committee now to look into it must be met with a lot of support to ensure that we sanitize the space,” he said.
Mutaru Mumuni acknowledged that bribery and political influence in security service recruitment were longstanding issues.
“It is no news that our security space has been hugely politicized, to the extent that recruitment is influenced by political parties,” he stated.
He highlighted concerns over reports of individuals allegedly paying to secure positions in the security services, warning that such practices undermine professionalism.
“There are quite a good number of them in there who are not qualified or fit enough to step within the security service,” he added.
Referencing past scandals involving senior police officers and instances where some security personnel were implicated in armed robbery and other criminal acts, he stressed the importance of strict and merit-based recruitment.
“We’ve seen situations where they cannot even write a report,” he noted.
He called for a deliberate effort to recruit personnel capable of upholding the integrity of the service, reiterating that the Interior Minister’s committee is a crucial step in restoring public confidence.
