The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a public warning about a fraudulent job advertisement circulating online, falsely claiming that the ministry is offering employment opportunities in Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry clarified that it does not directly recruit workers.

According to its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, recruitment into the ministry is solely the responsibility of the Federal Civil Service Commission.

“We want to put it on record that the Ministry does not recruit officers directly—recruitment of Foreign Service officers is carried out by the Federal Civil Service Commission,” Ebienfa stated.

He noted that the ministry decided to respond following a flood of inquiries prompted by fake job advertisements allegedly signed by the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs. Within the last 24 hours, scammers have escalated their scheme by sending fake employment letters to unsuspecting Nigerians.

Ebienfa further revealed that the fraudsters are impersonating top ministry officials, including himself, to deceive the public. He urged Nigerians to disregard any such messages and report suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.

“They are sending out emails with my name as the signatory. This is not just about fake news. It is about protecting Nigerians from losing their hard-earned money and protecting the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, he added.

“One of the fake messages reads: ‘We are pleased to inform you that your application has been considered for diplomatic services at the Embassy of Nigeria in Juba, South Sudan to take effect 12 May 2025. It even directs candidates to pay N165,800 for a diplomatic passport.”

Kimiebi described the offer as entirely fake.

“This did not emanate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There is no way you will be recruited into the Nigerian Diplomatic Service without going through the process of training, which is the Foreign Service Academy.”

He stressed that all recruits into the Foreign Service go through a clear and formal process: recruitment by the Federal Civil Service Commission, training at the Foreign Service Academy, then eventual deployment abroad.

“The first deployment is one year of attachment. Subsequent postings last three years,” he added.

He therefore warned that no Nigerian should believe any job offer claiming to be directly from the ministry, or pay for a diplomatic passport.

“Diplomatic passports are free. “Even official passports for civil servants are free. So nobody should fall victim”. (The Nation)