The Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has disclosed that at least 10 recruits have been dismissed from Ghana’s security services training schools for breaching a directive banning mobile phones during training.

He said the affected recruits were caught secretly keeping their phones despite being required to surrender the devices upon reporting to the training institutions.

Muntaka Mubarak said the dismissals were necessary to enforce discipline and ensure that recruits complied with the rules governing the various security services training schools.

The Minister made the disclosure during his interaction with students of Satafiya Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi, where he discussed recruitment into Ghana’s security services and the standards expected of prospective recruits.

He expressed concern about attempts by some recruits to circumvent institutional regulations after being admitted, stressing that joining a security service entails strict responsibilities and the need to demonstrate discipline.

Muntaka Mubarak also revealed that more than half a million people applied during the latest security services recruitment exercise, but only about 10,000 were selected for training, underscoring the process's highly competitive nature.

“It was so vigorous that over half a million people applied. We ended up taking only 10,000. Indiscipline: people got there, and they were hiding their phones in their pillows. First, the moment you get to training school, they take all your phones,” he said.