The National Service Authority has uncovered widespread irregularities within its payroll system, leading to the flagging of 8,105 personnel nationwide.
Following the discovery, 1,840 individuals have been temporarily suspended while further investigations are carried out by security agencies.
The findings emerged after an internal review that compared official graduation records from tertiary institutions with the lists submitted for national service deployment.
According to the Authority, the discrepancies pointed to serious breaches involving three institutions: the University of Development Studies, Ghana Communication Technology University, and Akenten Appiah Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development.
Addressing the media at a press briefing on Monday, December 15, 2015, the Director General of the Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, described the scale of the problem as deeply troubling and confirmed that ten staff members from the affected institutions have been arrested and are assisting with investigations.
“The number of students who officially graduated did not match the number submitted to us, and that is how we uncovered a large network working together. The investigation revealed shocking results, with 8,105 individuals flagged and 1,840 suspended while security agencies complete their work,” she said.
Ms Seddoh also responded to public concerns over the closure of the National Service portal, which followed two deadline extensions.
She explained that the decision was taken to allow for reposting, proper validation and physical verification of personnel at their assigned posts.
This process, she noted, is essential to eliminate ghost names, confirm accurate deployment records and ensure allowances are paid only to legitimately serving personnel.