The Lagos State Government has called for the arrest and trial of six northern candidates participating in the Nigerian Army recruitment process who claimed to be indigenes of the state.

A viral video surfaced earlier on Wednesday showing six candidates in the recruitment process, who hailed from Kaduna State, claiming Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos Island Local Government Area, and Oshodi Isolo Local Government Area, respectively, as their local governments of origin.

By claiming to hail from Lagos, the candidates intended to secure the slots designated to Lagos State indigenes.

The video sparked reactions from indigenes of Lagos, with many saying that Lagosians are being short-changed in the recruitment process.

Responding to the newsmen on Wednesday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said the matter had not been officially reported to the state government.

He, however, said any attempt by a non-Lagosian to claim Lagos indigeneship was criminal and demanded that the police should arrest and try the culprits if found culpable.

“We don’t have the report yet. But it is criminal to attempt to claim that you are from Lagos when you are not. It is what the police should take up, arrest the said candidates and try them,” Omotoso said, adding that “it is perjury and is punishable under the law of the land.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army confirmed the arrest of the six candidates.

A statement on Wednesday by the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the arrest of the candidates was a testament to the transparency and credibility of the recruitment process.

The statement read, “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a circulating video on social media depicting the arrest of some fraudulent candidates of the ongoing 86 Regular Recruits Intake, who were caught attempting to short-change indigenous candidates of Lagos State through dubious means.

“The NA wishes to state that the arrest of the fraudulent candidates was a result of the commitment of the NA to upholding a transparent and credible recruitment process in line with its core values of integrity and fairness. The video is a pointer to one of the processes to which the candidates were subjected to ensure only true indigenes of a particular State are recruited, using the slots of that state and non-indigenes.

“The video in itself, therefore, clearly shows that the process is transparent, as the State Representative, who is a prominent member of the recruitment team has been part and parcel of the process and was given unhindered access to do her job by scrutinizing the candidates’ State of origin, to ascertain the genuineness of their indigeneship claims.”

Onyema said an investigation will be conducted to determine fraudulent activities and to identify those behind the fraudulent act.

“The state representative must identify non-indigenes amongst candidates applying for recruitment and this is applicable in other states of the federation.

END.