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Former Deputy Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Gifty Oware-Mensah, has been released by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
She was taken into custody on Friday, 7th March, as part of investigations into the ongoing NSS ghost names scandal. Reports indicate that she was released on Saturday, 8th March, after an initial interrogation and is expected to be recalled in the coming days for further questioning.
However, the specific terms of her bail agreement with the NIB remain unclear.
Background
The NSS ghost names scandal has rocked Ghana, with allegations that billions of cedis have been fraudulently siphoned from public funds.
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An investigation by The Fourth Estate uncovered massive payroll fraud within the NSS, exposing thousands of fake names and fraudulent student index numbers linked to some of Ghana’s top universities.
The exposé, which spans the eight-year tenure of former President Nana Akufo-Addo (2017–2024), revealed that fraudulent identities have infiltrated the system since 2018, leading to an estimated loss of 2.2 billion cedis.
The fake index numbers were linked to institutions such as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University for Development Studies (UDS), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Tamale Technical University, Valley View University (VVU), and several colleges of education.
The scandal has raised serious concerns over financial mismanagement and corruption within the National Service Scheme, prompting intensified investigations into those responsible.
Related Arrests
Recently, Kwaku Ohene Gyan, popularly known as Osonoba, the former Deputy Director of Operations at the NSS, was detained as part of the ongoing probe.
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Additionally, the NIB has questioned Yaw Danso, an accountant at the NSS, although he has denied any involvement in the scandal.
The investigations remain ongoing, with more arrests and interrogations expected as authorities seek to unravel the full scale of the corruption scandal.