Cross River State Government Says The Protecters Were Victims Of Fake Employment Syndicate.

Cross River Says Salary Protesters Were Victims of Fake Employment Syndicate. The Cross River State Government has said that individuals who recently protested over the alleged non-payment of 11 months’ salaries were victims of a fraudulent employment syndicate that falsely promised them jobs in the local government service.Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, made the disclosure while addressing the controversy surrounding the recruitment exercise.Ekpo explained that a judicial panel established by Governor Bassey Otu to investigate the disputed recruitment found that many of those demanding salaries were never lawfully employed into the Unified Local Government Service.

According to him, the panel uncovered an organised employment racket that allegedly extorted money from unsuspecting job seekers with false promises of securing local government appointments.He stated that the investigation revealed several appointment letters and employment records linked to the exercise were irregular and did not comply with approved government recruitment procedures, rendering the appointments invalid.While expressing sympathy for those allegedly deceived by the syndicate, Ekpo maintained that the state government could not place individuals who were not legally recruited on its payroll.He said the judicial panel was constituted following complaints over the recruitment exercise and was mandated to verify the authenticity of the appointments and recommend appropriate actions.The commission chairman assured that the panel’s recommendations would be fully implemented, stressing that only individuals who passed through the lawful recruitment process would be recognised as government employees and entitled to salary payments.He also reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to sanitising the local government service, eliminating irregular recruitment practices and ensuring that public funds are paid only to duly employed workers.Ekpo warned those behind the alleged employment scam that they would face legal consequences and urged anyone who may have fallen victim to cooperate with the relevant authorities as investigations continue.His remarks followed a protest in Calabar by a group of individuals who claimed they had gone without salaries for about 11 months despite reporting for work and appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to intervene.