Retired fire officer remanded over GH¢303K fake GNFS recruitment scam

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 60-year-old retired fire officer into custody over allegations that he collected GH¢303,200 from 60 prospective recruits in a fake Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) recruitment scheme.

Thomas Dorkenu has been charged with defrauding by false pretences, although the court did not take his plea. The case has been adjourned to August 12, 2026.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, who is leading the prosecution, told the court, presided over by Kwabena Kodua Obiri-Yeboah, that Dorkenu allegedly claimed he could secure GNFS positions for applicants through protocol arrangements.

According to the prosecution, Dorkenu approached one of the complainants, Eyram Davordzi-Banini, a midwife in Akatsi, on February 9, 2026, and allegedly told her that he had obtained recruitment slots from the Chief Fire Officer.

He reportedly asked her to mobilise people interested in joining the service.

The prosecution said Davordzi-Banini subsequently gathered 60 applicants and, on their behalf, paid GH¢303,200 to Dorkenu as purported protocol fees.

Dorkenu allegedly later provided the applicants with appointment letters instructing them to report to the Ghana National Fire Service Training School on July 23, 2026.

However, when the applicants arrived at the training school, they were reportedly informed that the appointment letters were fraudulent.

The affected applicants then lodged a complaint with the Chief Fire Officer, prompting a police investigation that resulted in Dorkenu’s arrest.

The prosecution said Dorkenu was handed over to the police along with a Tecno Spark C30 mobile phone, which investigators believe may have been used in the alleged offence.

According to the prosecution, Dorkenu admitted in a caution statement, made in the presence of an independent witness, that he received the money. However, he claimed that he had also fallen victim to a scam involving a Telecel telephone number.

The court was informed that the mobile phone had been submitted for digital forensic analysis, while investigators were also working to identify the person using the Telecel number as investigations continue.

Source: GNA