By Our Correspondent
A father of an applicant seeking recruitment into the Nigerian Army has accused a Nigerian Army officer of taking N170,000 to help his son join the military, but failing to deliver on the promise.
The father, Mr. Haruna Peter Joshua, explained that he made the payment to Captain Yakubu, who allegedly promised to secure his son’s spot at the Army Depot in Zaria, Nigeria. According to Haruna, Captain Yakubu later demanded an additional N70,000, which he refused, citing the officer’s failure to fulfill the initial promise.
In a phone conversation with our correspondent, Mr. Haruna revealed that he paid the N170,000 to an account under the name Simon John Adaji, which was provided to him by Captain Yakubu. Despite Mr. Haruna’s son traveling to Zaria multiple times, he was never recruited as promised.
When contacted for clarification, Captain Yakubu denied knowing Simon John Adaji, the person linked to the bank account. However, after hearing the accusation, Captain Yakubu abruptly ended the call and refused to respond to further inquiries.
Mr. Haruna maintained that he kept the SMS showing Simon John Adaji’s Zenith Bank account number as evidence of the transaction. He shared details of his interaction with Captain Yakubu, recounting how the officer had sent the account number and assured him that his son would be recruited once the payment was made.
According to Mr. Haruna, after sending the money, he followed up with Captain Yakubu, but received no updates regarding his son’s recruitment. He also mentioned that Captain Yakubu later asked for additional funds, but Mr. Haruna refused, stating that the officer had not fulfilled his original promise.
Mr. Haruna expressed shock upon hearing Captain Yakubu’s denial of any association with Simon Adaji, stating, “How can he deny it? He sent me the account number.”
The victim’s father also revealed that his son had been working for a company owned by a prominent figure in Abuja, whose son is reportedly friends with Mr. Haruna’s son. It was through this connection that Mr. Haruna was introduced to Captain Yakubu.
Human rights activist Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, who was contacted by Mr. Haruna, confirmed that several other applicants had also complained about paying large sums of money—some exceeding N300,000—without being recruited.
The story has raised concerns over corruption and exploitation within the recruitment process. Efforts to reach the Army Depot Zaria spokesman, Major Ochienta, for comments on the issue were unsuccessful by press time.
