NIA sacks 10 staff over extortion from Ghana card applicants

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has dismissed 10 staff after they were found guilty of misconduct and unauthorised collection of monies from some Ghana Card applicants.

According to a news report by asaaseradio.com, the staff were indicted after an investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) found them guilty of breaching the authority’s regulations.

“This decision was after a thorough investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.

“This included the interdiction of the affected officers, the appointment of a disciplinary committee of inquiry to provide a hearing for each officer in accordance with the law, and management’s subsequent acceptance of the disciplinary committee’s recommendations,” the report stated.

The accusations against the culprits include soliciting and receiving unauthorized fees from Ghana Card applicants, as well as manipulating the registration system for personal benefit.

“The allegations against the dismissed officers included demanding and accepting unauthorised fees from Ghana Card applicants, as well as manipulating the registration system for personal gain.

“These acts of proven took place at NIA’s head office in Accra, Subin Sub-Metro District Office in Kumasi, Western Regional Office in Takoradi, Registrar General’s Department Office at Accra Central, Adentan Municipal Office and La-Nkwantanang Municipal Office,” the report continued.

According to the executive secretary of the NIA, Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the organisation is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and ethical behaviour.

The dismissal of the staff members, he added, is to send a strong message that the authority places equal emphasis on upholding the fundamental human rights of its personnel and swiftly enforcing the rule of law.

This move again is aimed at establishing a robust, principled, flexible, and proficient national institution that is dedicated to cultivating a nation of citizens who can genuinely take pride in their country.

Attafuah pledged to implement additional measures to prevent such misconduct from occurring in the future.

“The NIA remains dedicated to fulfilling its mandate of providing reliable, credible, and transparent identification services to citizens while adhering to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct,” the report added emphasised.