Recruitment Scam Cartel Plaguing Taraba Civil Service

·         How Pheejamilo William Allegedly Scammed Jobseekers

 

The Taraba State Civil Service Commission has been hit by a major recruitment scam following the discovery of over one hundred unsuspecting applicants who paid between three hundred and four hundred thousand naira for a slot in the Taraba State Civil Service payroll.

The scam, which is said to have been ongoing for years, was discovered to have been carried out by a former student of Taraba State University, Mr. William Pheejamillo, and others, who lured unsuspecting applicants into paying the money with the promise of job vacancies in the state.

An investigation by Taraba Truth and Fact Newspaper revealed that the culprit and some of his alleged accomplices, who are also part of the Taraba State Civil Service Commission, received the payments but failed to include the victims' names in the Taraba State Payroll System.

One of the victims, Pheechibema Barde Manga, revealed that she was lured into paying the money due to assurances of a slot at Taraba State Polytechnic when the alleged fraudster visited her selling point in Jalingo.

"What actually happened is that I met Pheejamillo where I was selling my thrift clothes at Kasuwan Bera. He told me there was a slot in the state, specifically at Taraba State Polytechnic, and that I would pay a token before being given the job offer, which he claimed he had discussed with my husband."

"When I came back, I discussed it with my husband. He said yes, they had had some discussions, but he did not have the money at the time. So I said okay, if it is valid, I would like to do it."

She disclosed that the difficult economic situation influenced her decision to accept the offer from Pheejamillo, and that part of the payment she received was coming from Taraba State Polytechnic, Jalingo.

"Looking at the economy, things are not easy for us. We borrowed and were able to raise N200,000, which I gave to him. He said I would pay part and complete it once I started seeing my salary. I paid the money to one Adamu Isa, and by December 23, I saw N25,000 coming from Taraba State Polytechnic."
"I called and asked why only N25,000, and he said it was a temporary replacement, and over time I would get my upgrade."

Mrs. Barde also revealed that the alleged suspect advertised other slots at the Taraba State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Taraba State Board of Internal Revenue, Taraba State College of Agriculture, Boundary Commission, Ministry of Finance, Post Primary Board, TSUBEB, and the Taraba State Ministry of Education.

According to her, the suspects advertised almost all the ministries in the state as having vacant slots, involving relatives who paid between N500,000 and N700,000 per slot.

She further noted that Pheejamillo has since begun to threaten her life and that of her family if she does not keep his identity a secret and allow the matter to die down.

"He even told some of the victims that I was the one who spoiled everything when I raised the alarm," she said. "He said I was digging trouble for myself because this is very deep, and even told me to leave my house because they would be coming for me."

He reportedly claimed to have connections with government officials who could silence her permanently.

"I asked him to give me the names of the people he paid the money to, and he said if I spoke out, I would lose my life and my children's lives."

Another victim, Nuhu Daniel, revealed that the suspect collected over ₦500,000 from him with the promise of a job at the Taraba State School of Nursing and Midwifery, Jalingo, but disappeared without a trace.

"I paid ₦550,000 to Mr. William Pheejamillo through a Fidelity Bank account. After the payment, he suddenly became unreachable. I received no job, no update, nothing. That was when I realized I had been scammed."
"I am giving this statement to fully support the investigation. Everything I have said is the truth, and I am ready to provide any evidence or additional details if needed."

In recent times, the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas, while addressing a group of protesters at the Government House in Jalingo, stated that his administration is doing everything it can to ensure that workers in the state civil service are recruited based on merit and due process, without bias.

Another victim said she took a loan to facilitate the payment of N350,000 with the hope of securing a job.

"It all started in February 2025. Miss Fichi's mom spoke to my mom and other staff in the College of Education, Zing, about a job opening. Because of job desperation, my mom said she was interested. Fichi's mom then gave my mom Fichi's number, and they spoke. Fichi assured my mom that the job was genuine and encouraged her to pay for it."

"She told my mom that the sum required was three hundred and fifty thousand naira because the amount was based on my qualification—I have an NCE. After one week, she called again to ask if my mom was still interested. My mom asked once more if the job was legitimate, and Fichi said yes. My mom then took a loan and made the payment."

"Fichi gave my mom two different accounts to pay the money into. She also told my mom that I would start receiving salary soon. By March, I got an alert of thirty thousand naira from the College of Health, Takum. I called my mom and she called Fichi to ask about it. Fichi laughed and said that was the salary I would receive for six months before they would add the minimum wage."

"My mom became convinced and told other family members and friends about the job. When it was their turn, they even paid higher amounts than I did."

"I received salary three times—in March, April, and May. After that, the payment stopped. We called Fichi, who assured us that the salary would come, but until today, we have not received anything again."

"Later, we got an email with a PCN number and were asked to pay four thousand one hundred naira, which we also paid. Till now, nothing has come out of it, and we finally realized that we had all been scammed."

"We took the case to court, and we are still waiting for feedback."

"We were made to believe that the job was from the Ministry of Finance, and that the man involved was working there and facilitating everything. In total, we paid fifty thousand naira to Fichi and three hundred thousand naira to Pheejamillo. We still have receipts for all the payments that were made."