Parradang exonerates self, blames Moro, others at EFCC over recruitment tragedy

The current probe of the immediate past Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), David Parradang, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to unravel the intrigues in the recruitment tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 20 job-seekers in 2014 coupled with other allegations of financial irregularity is likely to involve more people if the statement he submitted is anything to go by.

The Guardian learnt that Parradang who was grilled on Monday by investigators at the Commission, put up concerted efforts to exonerate himself from the allegations levelled against him, especially those related to the recruitment exercise, which was “a practical demonstration of raw power and control by my supervisors”, he was quoted to have said.

According to sources, Parradang did not hide it that the then Minister of Interior, Mr. Patrick Abba-Moro and the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Board (CDFIPB), against all entreaties, refused to follow the known tradition of recruiting personnel into the service, instead resorted to new methods that were weighed down and infested with fraud, deceit, corruption and abuse of power, as the decision to recruit was taken and the contract outsourced to a company called Drexel Nigeria Limited, with whom the minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) without the input of the leadership of the NIS.

Parradang, according to the source, also had all the required documents to defend and justify his claims at the Commission that he was not privy or in support of defrauding the job-seekers nor was he completely alone in the scheme.

It would be recalled that when the notice for the recruitment was issued and advertisement placed in some national dailies by the board without the consent or advice from the service, the leadership of NIS protested in a letter to the board, but the complaint was ignored.

– Guardian