This was revealed by Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, while speaking on Sparkling FM’s morning show, Let’s Talk Nigeria. According to Ekpo, victims were manipulated, intimidated, and coerced into paying sums between N100,000 and N1.5 million, with applicants aiming for senior roles shelling out up to N1.3 million and N1.5 million.

The scam came to light following inquiries by a state-constituted investigative panel set up in response to public outcry and complaints. Ekpo noted that the fraudsters even went to the length of issuing fake employment letters to make victims believe they had officially secured positions. Furthermore, the perpetrators reportedly manipulated the system to favor family members and individuals living outside Cross River.

Whistleblowers were promised complete confidentiality and protection, which encouraged many victims to step forward with verifiable evidence. The state government is currently tracking down those linked to the scam to face interrogation, prosecution, and necessary penalties.

Following the panel’s findings and recommendations, the state government officially scrapped the 2024/2025 recruitment drive. Nevertheless, Ekpo announced that 821 individuals from the previous batch will be retained, and a new recruitment process—guaranteed to be transparent, uncommercialized, and strictly procedural—will kick off in two weeks for other qualified candidates. He also confirmed that the names of the retained workers and successful candidates from the upcoming exercise will be made public.

The controversy began after a video circulated online showing Margaret with a handbag identified by users as a Hermès Kelly 35 in Malachite. Online commentators estimate the bag’s value at approximately N237 million. This high price tag has drawn varied reactions from Nigerians, with some condemning the purchase as excessive, while others defend her right to buy what she can afford.

Public figures have also weighed in on the debate. Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, criticized Peter Obi for projecting a modest public image that contrasts with his family’s reported lifestyle. In a post on X, Olayinka argued that it is hypocritical for Obi to solicit campaign donations from ordinary citizens while his wife carries a handbag worth the equivalent of 250,000 of those donations. He stated, “If as a private citizen, the wife of a supposed prudent man can buy a single bag worth over N250m, you can do a guess as to the cost of bags she will buy with public funds.”

Popular media personality Daddy Freeze also commented, stating that he has no issue with Margaret Obi owning a luxury bag, given her husband’s status as a billionaire. However, he questioned Peter Obi’s oft-repeated claims of owning only one pair of shoes and a single wristwatch, suggesting a discrepancy between his declared extreme modesty and his actual lifestyle. “The only problem I have with him is he says he only has one shoe and one watch, but when you put yourself in a certain light, and things around you don’t seem to add to that light, there is a problem,” he said in a video.

Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, however, dismissed the criticism as “unnecessary,” noting that Peter Obi is “very rich.” While not seeing an issue with the bag itself, Adeyanju pointed out that the public backlash is rooted in the perception of a performative and deceptive political image. “There’s really nothing wrong in the woman carrying this bag but they have deceived so many people about not giving shishi that many Nigerians are disgusted by their lifestyle,” he wrote on X. “Be yourself Mr. Obi and stop the drama and acting.”