By Elbie Sebleh
MONROVIA: Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), through its commissioner, Elijah Rufus, has disclosed that five hundred recruits have been trained and ready into the service on December 7,2024. Addressing the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), press briefing on Capitol Hill in Monrovia yesterday, Co. Rufus asserted that the graduation ceremony is expected to take place in Lofa County.
According to him, the training lasted for 6weeks in Lofa County.
He said it was an intensive one wherein the recruits were trained as it relates to protect the borders among others.
He added that the training was fully supported by LIS through GOL, unlike previous training programs that were supported by international partners.
The Minister of Justice, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, is expected to be the keynote speaker for the graduation ceremony of the recruits.
So far, those who were selected and trained are three hundred males and Two hundred females.
Commissioner Rufus further explained that upon graduation, the recruits will be deployed at various assignments including border points to begin work immediately.
The LIS Boss added that he has been in conversation with the Civil Service Agency(CSA) and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning bordering on the salaries of the recruits beginning 2025.
He, at the same time, clarified that the LIS will not face constraints in maintaining the newly recruited, because voids have been created for these recruits and that the CSA is expected to retire three hundred LIS officers who have reached the retirement ages.
The LIS boss mentioned that during the recruitment process, there was casualty in Grand Bassa, he was declared dead on arrival when rushed to the hospital.
He further disclosed that the current 500 are very well in health.
Meanwhile, commissioner Rufus said that as the recruits will be deployed at border points, all of the border posts are very strategic.
However, this time, they will focus mainly on the land border, that’s why they were able to select people from counties that have borders.
The LIS needs more forces in order to police the entire country, but there are inadequate resources to achieve it, he stressed.
