We’re Not Recruiting, Online Scammers On The Prowl To Rip Off Nigerians, Foreign Affairs Ministry Warns

By Bukar BOLORI

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned the general public of an employment scam circulating online where the minister is said to be handling out employment into the nation’s foreign service.

Briefing the media on Wednesday, the acting spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa said it is not its duty of the ministry to recruit workers, but rather the role is reserved for the Civil Service Commission which recruits workers for the ministry.

Ebienfa while calling on the public to disregard any advertisement for foreign service job or appointment, said: “We want to put on record that the ministry doesn’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 further explained that the ministry decided to react following the barrage of messages he got following the online advertisements falsely signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, noting that in the last 24 hours, scammers have moved a notch higher by sending fake employment letters to unsuspecting Nigerians.

Ebienfa decried that the scammers are using the names of top officials of the ministry, including his own to send out e-mails.

“They are sending out emails with my name as the signatory,” he said.

“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 added.

He said one of the fake messages 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”.

Kimiebi while describing the offer as entirely fake, added that: “This did not emanate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“There is no way you will be recruited into the Nigerian Diplomatic Service without going through the process of training, which is the Foreign Service Academy”.

He stressed that all recruits into the Foreign Service go through a clear and formal process: recruitment by the Federal Civil Service Commission, training at the Foreign Service Academy, then eventual deployment and posting abroad.

“The first deployment is one year of attachment. Subsequent postings last three years,” he added.

He,therefore, warned that no Nigerian should believe any job offer claiming to be directly from the ministry or pay for a diplomatic passport.

“Diplomatic passports are free. Even official passports for civil servants are free. So nobody should fall victim,” he alerted.