The Nigeria Police Force, led by Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, has rejected the list of successful applicants for constable and specialist cadre roles released by the Police Service Commission (PSC),Daily Trust reports.
In a statement on Saturday, Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi highlighted numerous irregularities in the list.
On June 4, Solomon Arase, the former PSC Chairman, announced that the selection process was rigorous to enhance the force’s capacity and effectiveness. However, six days later, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Arase and appointed Hashimu Argungu, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, as his replacement.
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Adejobi stated that many individuals who did not apply to join the force were listed as successful candidates.
“The Nigeria Police Force has raised alarm on the irregularities and alleged corruption of the recently released names of successful candidates in the ongoing 2022/23 Police Constables Recruitment Exercise. This became necessary upon being inundated with a series of complaints and allegations of corruption raised by unsuspecting candidates and stakeholders on the irregularities that marred the exercise, most especially the disappearance of the names of screened candidates who were successful to the last stage.”
“Upon careful scrutiny of the list released on the PSC portal, it was discovered that:
- Several names of purported successful candidates are of individuals who did not apply or participate in the recruitment exercise.
- The published list includes candidates who failed either the Computer-Based Test (CBT), the physical screening exercise, or both.
- Candidates who were disqualified for being medically unfit through the standardized medical test were also listed as successful candidates.
- Most concerning are allegations of financial dealings and corrupt practices, resulting in unqualified and untrainable individuals being shortlisted.”
Adejobi mentioned that Egbetokun expressed his disapproval of the list in a letter to Arase on June 10, 2024, the same day the former chairman was sacked. It remains unclear if the controversial list contributed to Arase’s removal.
“The Inspector General of Police had on June 10, 2024, written a letter of objection to the list addressed to the Chairman of the Commission, citing the discoveries listed above. The IGP’s reaction was without prejudice to the Commission’s power to recruit for the police as ruled by the Supreme Court. However, this power does not extend to recruiting unqualified and untrained individuals. It is the police that bears the brunt of recruiting unqualified individuals, not the PSC. Those who recruit haphazardly for the police today will accuse the police of inefficiency when their recruits start underperforming.”
“The Police have therefore dissociated themselves from the published list and called for a transparent and credible review. It should be noted that the PSC leadership, following the Supreme Court ruling on the Commission’s recruitment powers, constituted a Joint Recruitment Board. This board was to be headed by a PSC Commissioner, with the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Training and Development as its Secretary. Surprisingly, the Board was incapacitated and not allowed to fulfill its mandate, even to the extent that the final list was not approved by the Board.”
“The Nigeria Police Force therefore takes exception to this unpleasant development and calls for a total review of the process with a view to recruiting qualified, competent, trainable, and productive individuals into the Nigeria Police Force, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for police reform.”
“The NPF reiterates its concern for the prospective recruits who have undergone rigorous screening exercises and assures that it is committed to ensuring the process is thoroughly reviewed, fruitful, and successful for the betterment of the Nigeria Police and the country as a whole.”
