The Minority in Parliament has called on the Interior Ministry to refund approximately GH¢113 million collected from applicants who failed to qualify in the ongoing security recruitment exercise.
Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, accused the John Mahama government of exploiting Ghanaian applicants and called for an investigation.
According to Ntim Fordjour, the Interior Ministry knew they were recruiting only 5,000, but lured half a million people just to milk applicants of GH¢113 million.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, stated, “Already, we have a national security threat and unemployment on our hands. You promised them jobs. You didn’t add any conditions”.
“Then you turn around, you politically expand the age limit from twenty-five to thirty-five, signalling that there is more room and more access, more financial clearance, which was a lie”.
“You knew from the very beginning you were recruiting only 5,000, and yet you did all this to lure half a million people, took their money, milked them GH¢113 million cedis and over, only to turn around yesterday, after you have knocked them out by technology and internet disruptions from the aptitude test,” he said.
Also, Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin had proposed that the Ministry of the Interior consider refunding the fees of applicants disqualified from the security service recruitment.
According to Afenyo-Markin, if the Ministry of the Interior can’t refund disqualified applicants, they should consider measures to allow them to be recruited in future years without the need to purchase vouchers again.
Speaking on the floor of parliament, Afenyo Markin stated, “Beyond this, we may have to look at the number of people who have bought forms and have gone through all this hell and whether there is a way for them to get their money refunded if they do not get the opportunity.
If they cannot be refunded, there must be a system to move them next year. Because over 200,000 have bought forms, 90,000 plus are going through the aptitude test, and we are being told only 5000 will be taken”, he added.
The minority calls follow Muntaka Mubarak, the Minister for the Interior, who has revealed that only 5000 security recruitment applicants out of 105,000 qualified for medicals will be recruited.
The Interior Minister stressed that the introduction of the aptitude test was to prevent the unfair practice of having 400,000 people pay for medicals for a space of 5,000.
According to the Interior Minister, the pass mark of the aptitude exams was 65, which has 105,000 applicants qualifying for medicals.
Speaking to the media, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka stated, “So, if you do that, are you fair to the average Ghanaian? Remember, all these stages, apart from buying the voucher to be able to apply, body selection does not require payment; documentation does not require payment; the aptitude test does not require payment, but medicals will require payment.
“And in order not to shortchange innocent young people, it is better you put in a mechanism that will reduce the number drastically, because once a person goes to pay, I mean, I know the military, when they were done, the medicals alone were about 1,600.
“We are also doing even mental health assessments, and we’re also doing drug tests in addition. Yes, I know the deputy, and I were just in a meeting, and we’re insisting that despite all these additions, the price will still not be very high, looking at the numbers that we are talking about.
“Are you going to allow over 400,000 people to go and do medicals when you know you have space for 5,000? How fair is it to the people? So, you need to devise a method where you slow down the number and have some reasonable figures. So, the pass mark was put at 65, because that was what they were told before they even started the exams,” he said.