Interior Minister denies allegations of recruiting NPP members into security services

Interior Minister Henry Quartey has denied allegations that the government is unlawfully enlisting members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the security services ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of allocating 30 recruitment slots per NPP parliamentary candidate to influence the December polls. Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson raised these

Read full articleconcerns during a press conference, warning that any unauthorized actions by these recruits, labeled as "NPP thugs in uniform," would face strong opposition from National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters.

In an interview on Citi FM, Mr. Quartey called the Minority’s claims regrettable and categorically denied any covert recruitment activities. He emphasized that recruitment has not yet started and will be conducted transparently.

Quartey explained that the current focus is on clearing the backlog of previous applicants, which is why there has been no recent advertisement. He assured that the eligibility criteria for new recruits will soon be announced by the relevant agencies.

“It is rather unfortunate that MPs and of course a leader, Minority Leader and a former deputy minister of Interior could actually spew this falsehood into the public. MPs currently are about 137…it cannot be possible, it is not and it cannot be possible. I am rather disappointed in this approach…Yes, we are recruiting but it is not a secret recruitment. We haven’t even started. The agencies are going to send the eligibility criteria. I am sure by this week they will do that,” Quartey clarified.

He further stated, “In the last couple of years people have gone to buy forms. And for some reasons, they could not gain admission into the security and intelligence agencies. So we thought it wise that we don’t have to advertise anymore for people to continuously pay monies because you have a certain number of people that per the clearance you have to recruit.”

“OI want to say again on authority that giving 30 slots to MPs is false. It is not true. It has never happened before and I am surprised that they want to go on this tangent,” Quartey reiterated.