At least 10 recruits have been dismissed from Ghana’s security services training schools for defying a ban on mobile phones during training, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak has disclosed.
According to the Minister, the affected recruits were caught secretly keeping their phones despite instructions to surrender the devices upon reporting to their respective training institutions.
He said the dismissals were necessary to maintain discipline and ensure strict compliance with the rules governing security services training.
Muntaka Mubarak made the disclosure during an interaction with students of Satafiya Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi, where he spoke about recruitment into Ghana’s security services and the standards expected of prospective recruits.
He expressed concern about recruits attempting to circumvent institutional regulations after gaining admission, stressing that service in Ghana’s security agencies comes with strict responsibilities and requires a high level of discipline.
The Minister also revealed that more than 500,000 people applied in the latest security services recruitment exercise, but only about 10,000 were selected for training.
He described the recruitment process as highly competitive and said the large number of applicants made adherence to institutional rules even more important.
“It was so vigorous that over half a million people applied. We ended up taking only 10,000. Indiscipline: people got there, and they were hiding their phones in their pillows. First, the moment you get to training school, they take all your phones,” he said.
