EXPOSED: Recruitment Scandal Rocks DSS Office as Officer Collected ₦2.5 Million From Applicants in Failed Recruitment Process, Victims Cry Out for Help
An officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), identified as Salihu Muhammed, has admitted collecting N2.5 million from job seekers after allegedly promising to secure them employment with the secret police, but the recruitment arrangement failed to produce the promised appointments.
The development followed complaints by two applicants, Abdulkadir Liman and Abdullahi Alhassan, who accused the officer of collecting money from them under the pretext of facilitating their recruitment into the agency.
One of the victims, Liman, alleged that Muhammed pressured him into obtaining a loan and almost selling his only car to raise money for the recruitment process.
According to Liman, Muhammed claimed that his superior had reserved recruitment slots for interested applicants, with each slot costing N2.5 million.
He said Alhassan initially introduced him to the arrangement after paying Muhammed N2 million in two instalments of N1.5 million and N500,000, with an agreement to settle the remaining N500,000 after receiving an appointment.
Liman explained that although he initially told Muhammed he could not afford the payment, the officer allegedly insisted that he sell his car before the recruitment process could commence.
He eventually obtained a loan of N500,000 and transferred the money to Muhammed while putting his vehicle up for sale to raise the outstanding balance.
Liman further alleged that potential buyers offered considerably lower prices for his vehicle because they suspected he was desperate to sell it.
He said Muhammed subsequently connected him with a man identified as Sadan, whom he described as a car dealer, but later discovered that the individual was also a DSS staff member.
The development reportedly increased his suspicion about the entire arrangement.
Liman also alleged that Muhammed continued demanding the outstanding payment and arranged for someone claiming to be calling from a DSS office to contact him about his application and personal information.
According to him, the officer allegedly offered to manipulate his date of birth through a fresh National Identification Number (NIN) registration after discovering that he was above the DSS recruitment age limit of 30 years.
He claimed that Muhammed demanded an additional N30,000 to facilitate the arrangement.
The victim further alleged that other applicants were invited for interviews at the DSS centre in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos, but he and Alhassan were excluded.
When they complained, Muhammed allegedly assured them that he was among the officers conducting the interviews and could award them the required scores without their physical attendance.
Liman said his suspicion increased after discovering through contacts within the agency that successful applicants had already proceeded to a training camp.
He alleged that Muhammed stopped answering his calls after he confronted him about the development.
The victims subsequently demanded a refund of their money, but Liman said Muhammed asked them to allow two months for repayment when they made the demand in May.
He maintained that they had yet to receive their money.
DSS Officer Admits Collecting Money
When contacted by SaharaReporters, Muhammed confirmed that he was a DSS officer and admitted collecting money in connection with efforts to facilitate the applicants’ recruitment.
However, he denied defrauding the applicants, insisting that he was only trying to help them secure employment through his contacts within the security agency.
Muhammed claimed that a police officer introduced Liman to him after the applicant expressed interest in leaving his job at the fire service to join the DSS.
He said Liman had been contacting him since 2022 for assistance with recruitment.
According to Muhammed, the arrangement encountered difficulties because Liman failed to obtain his NYSC discharge certificate before the DSS completed compiling its recruitment list.
He claimed that he subsequently contacted a cousin who was also a DSS officer to help facilitate the recruitment process.
Muhammed admitted that the money collected from the applicants was intended for the other officer, who allegedly demanded N2 million to assist with the arrangement.
He further claimed that six applicants were involved, with four successfully securing employment and completing their training, while the remaining two were unsuccessful.
Muhammed said the four successful applicants only completed their training on Saturday, November 8, 2026.
He acknowledged that the unsuccessful applicants had demanded refunds and claimed that he had reached an understanding with the person who collected the money to use payments from successful applicants to refund those who did not secure appointments.
The DSS officer said he had been experiencing difficulties raising the money, adding that he had contacted the families of successful applicants to request assistance.
He also claimed that he had applied for an official introduction letter from his office to enable him to obtain a N3 million loan from GTBank for the refund.
According to him, the loan application was delayed because the required letter had yet to be signed by the agency’s Deputy Director-General.
Muhammed insisted that he would refund the applicants, claiming that he had also put his land up for sale to raise the money.
“I did not scam him. I was only trying to help him. To pay this money is not a problem,” he told SaharaReporters.
He further disclosed that he contacted Liman on Thursday, November 6, to explain the delay, but the applicant threatened to report him to the authorities.
Efforts to obtain the DSS’s official position on the allegations were unsuccessful as the agency’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, neither answered calls nor responded to a message sent to her before the report was filed..
