The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on has warned Nigerians that fake recruitment scam circulating online, with offer of diplomatic missions jobs abroad purportedly signed by either the ministry’s Minister, Amb Maitama Tuggar or the Spokesperson.
Describing the recruitment as scam at a press briefing in Abuja, the spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, explained that the ministry of foreign affairs does not recruit staff directly but through the Federal Civil Service Commission and warned those who might have received such offers to disregard them as they are fake.
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He said the ministry will collaborate with relevant security agencies to track the scammers and owners of the websites being used to perpetrate the fake recruitment exercise.
“We want to put on record that the ministry don’t recruit officers directly, not at all. Recruitment of foreign service officers is done by the Federal Civil Service Commission and not by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
He said that the fake offer letter being sent to unsuspecting Nigerians signed by the minister in the last 24 hours reads: ‘We are pleased to inform you that your application has been considered for diplomatic services at the Embassy of Nigeria in Juba, South Sudan to take effect 12 May 2025.
“It even directs candidates to pay N165,800 for a diplomatic passport.This did not emanate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There is no way you will be recruited into the Nigerian Diplomatic Service and without going through the process of training, which is the Foreign Service Academy,” he said.
According to him, all recruits into the Foreign Service go through a clear and formal process by the Federal Civil Service Commission, with training at the Foreign Service Academy, before eventual deployment abroad.
“The first deployment is one year of attachment. Subsequent postings last three years. Diplomatic passports are free. Even official passports for civil servants are free. So nobody should fall victim. They are sending out emails with my name as the signatory,” Ebienfa noted.
As parts of efforts to tackle the scam, the Spokesperson said the ministry will write officially to relevant security agencies to alert them with the view to tracking them face wrath of the law.
“What the ministry intends to do is to write officially to the relevant security agencies to track the persons behind this website and the emails. If someone is paying money, definitely there will be an account that will be provided for the payment.
“Tomorrow you will see unsuspecting Nigerians arriving in different countries with fake documents. When the real officers show up, there could be confusion, ” he stated.
As parts of measures to address the issue, he also promised that more disclaimers would be issued via the ministry’s social media platforms, and that action would be taken to protect Nigerians and the integrity of the foreign service from activities of scammers.
“This is not just about fake news. It is about protecting Nigerians from losing their hard-earned money and protecting the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, he maintained.
