Staff Theft in Nigeria Is a Recruitment Problem

By YourChecka on ยท 2 min read

A Lagos hotel owner lost more than ten million naira to staff theft in two months. Prosecution was too expensive, so dismissal was the only option left. Insider threats begin at the point of hire.

After losing more than ten million naira to staff theft in just two months, a Lagos hotel owner revealed that pursuing criminal prosecution had become an exercise in frustration. By the time legal fees, court appearances, and the length of the judicial process were taken into account, the cost of seeking justice had exceeded the value of the money that had been stolen. Faced with mounting losses and few practical remedies, he made the difficult decision to dismiss an entire department in an effort to protect the business from further damage.

Many of those employees would likely have passed a background check. The key issue, however, is the lack of standardised background check procedures.

Most checks never leave the office

Most background checks in Nigeria today are largely automated. A database is searched, an address is matched using GPS, a name is verified against available records, guarantors receive a phone call, and a PDF report is generated. The entire process can be completed without anyone ever stepping outside an office. No one visits the address. No one speaks to neighbours. No one verifies whether the information reflects reality. Nothing.

At a time when identity fraud, document forgery, and organised employment scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, background checks that rely almost entirely on digital records are no longer enough. They may confirm that a person exists on paper, but they often fail to reveal who that person really is.

Checks conducted by people, not just software

At YourChecka, every background check is conducted by people, not just software. Our intelligence experts, with more than twenty years of investigative experience, physically verify addresses, visit guarantors, engage law enforcement where necessary, and compile court attested reports that stand up to legal scrutiny.

For your next hire, run thorough background checks only with YourChecka.

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