MINISTRY OF LABOUR UNCOVERS FAKE RECRUITMENT DOCUMENTS INVOLVING 12 SIERRA LEONEANS

By Desmond Isaac Macauley
The Ministry of Labour has uncovered an alleged fraudulent recruitment operation involving about 12 young sierra Leonean nationals, aged between 18 and 24, who were intercepted at an airport while reportedly travelling to Dubai for employment.

According to Umaru Napoleon Koroma, The Minister of employment Labour and social security, the young men and women had been stranded at the airport for two days after two individuals allegedly took possession of their passports and demanded additional payments to facilitate their travel and employment processing.

The situation reportedly prompted intervention from the relevant authorities, who brought the affected individuals into custody and began investigating the circumstances surrounding their recruitment.

Further inquiries reportedly uncovered two companies linked to the recruitment process. One allegedly involved eight of the individuals, while the other had reportedly had its licence suspended since 2004 and was no longer authorised to operate.

The Ministry of Labour, in collaboration with the police and other investigators, is continuing efforts to establish the facts and determine responsibility. As a temporary measure, the Ministry announced on 11 September 2026 the suspension of recruitment activities involving individuals travelling out of the country, while urging the public to verify recruitment documents and avoid falling victim to fraudulent employment schemes.