By Ebrima Mbaye
The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) has uncovered a sophisticated forgery scheme involving fake West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results during its ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise, intercepting at least 40 fraudulent certificates nationwide.
Speaking to reporters, GID Public Relations Officer Inspector Siman Lowe revealed that the intensive document vetting phase has proven instrumental in rooting out the fraud. “This verification stage is designed to confirm the authenticity of every submitted document and guarantee that only genuinely qualified candidates proceed,” Lowe stated.
Over 100 additional applicants have been flagged and instructed to present original certificates for deeper scrutiny. Preliminary investigations have pointed to a Ghanaian national – a long-serving senior civil servant in The Gambia’s education sector for more than 20 years – as the alleged mastermind behind the forgery network.
“The suspect was invited for questioning and reportedly admitted to facilitating the production of fake results for some applicants,” Inspector Lowe disclosed. The individual has been released on bail while investigations continue.
To strengthen the verification process, the GID Recruitment Board has initiated direct contact with secondary schools across the country and re-established formal channels with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Although verification fees hampered earlier attempts to involve WAEC, Lowe confirmed that all outstanding results will be forwarded to the regional examination body before the recruitment concludes.
The discovery comes at a critical time as The Gambia intensifies security sector reforms aimed at professionalising state institutions. Inspector Lowe issued a strong warning to prospective fraudsters: “The Department will never tolerate the enlistment of individuals who rely on false declarations. Such actions directly undermine the integrity of our reforms and will be met with the full force of the law.”
Authorities say the investigation remains active, with more arrests possible as the vetting process enters its final stages. The GID has urged all applicants to ensure their documentation is genuine, stressing that any attempt to deceive the system will lead to immediate disqualification and potential prosecution.
