At least 10 recruits have been dismissed from Ghana’s security services training schools after they were caught secretly keeping and using mobile phones, despite a ban on the devices during training.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed, said the recruits were dismissed after violating the directive requiring trainees to surrender their phones when they report to the training institutions.
According to him, some recruits attempted to hide their phones, with some reportedly keeping them under their pillows and making calls at night.
“Indiscipline, people got there and they were hiding their phones in their pillows,” the Minister said. “First, the moment you get to training school, they take all your phones. Some decided to hide their phones and in the night, they were making calls.”
He explained that some of the recruits were eventually caught, adding that he had been informed that at least 10 trainees had been dismissed for possessing phones.
Muntaka made the disclosure during an interaction with students of Sakafiya Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi, where he spoke about the recruitment process into Ghana’s security services and the standards expected of successful applicants.
He expressed concern about indiscipline among some recruits, particularly those who try to circumvent established rules after gaining admission to training schools.
The Minister also revealed that more than half a million people applied during the recent recruitment exercise, but only about 10,000 applicants were eventually selected for training.
He said the high number of applications showed the intense competition for opportunities within Ghana’s security services.
“Over half a million people applied. We ended up taking only 10,000,” he said.
Muntaka stressed that successful applicants must understand that admission into a security services training school comes with responsibilities, including strict adherence to the rules and regulations governing the institutions.
