Police Recruitment Exercise; Allow shortlisted Constables begin training — PSC tells NPF 

Police Recruitment Exercise; Allow shortlisted Constables begin training — PSC tells NPF

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has addressed the escalating dispute with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) regarding recruitment issues.

Tensions began on June 4, 2024, when the PSC released a list of 10,000 successful applicants for constable and specialist roles. Shortly thereafter, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Solomon Arase as PSC chairman, appointing Hashimu Argungu, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, as his replacement.

In response, Muiywa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, rejected the list, alleging corruption and inclusion of candidates who failed the Computer-Based Test (CBT) or Physical Screening, as well as individuals who did not apply for the positions.

At a press conference in Abuja, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun stood firm in rejecting the PSC-recruited candidates, citing his responsibility for the guidance and leadership of over 300,000 officers nationwide.

Despite a court ruling affirming the PSC’s sole authority in police recruitment, PSC spokesperson Ikechukwu Ani accused the NPF of undermining their mandate in a statement issued on Friday.

“The Police Service Commission has watched with keen interest developments since it concluded and released the list of successful candidates for recruitment as Constables into the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Commission is disturbed at the flagrant abuse of ethics, the Constitution and valid judgment of the apex court of the land.

“The Commission wishes to state as follows; a. That the release of the confidential letter sent to the Chairman of the Commission by the Inspector General of Police on alleged lapses in the recruitment exercise to the Media was a gross violation of the Public Service Rules with grave Consequences.

“b. That since 2019, when a former Inspector General of Police hijacked the soft copy of an ongoing recruitment exercise and forcefully completed the exercise without the input of the Commission – the statutory body solely charged with such responsibility, the Commission has not been allowed to perform this constitutional duty.

“c. The Commission has at every turn suffered several indignities in its attempt to perform functions provided to it by the Constitution even after the Supreme Court decided the matter in its favour.
“d. That this show of brute force and intimidation by the Police and most recently inducements of hired writers to run down the Commission in the Media is a serious affront on the mandate of the Commission.

“The Commission has studied the issues around this successfully concluded recruitment exercise and has come to the conclusion that even after the Supreme Court Judgment, the Police is reluctant to allow the Commission perform this constitutional assignment. The Commission demands that the Police should provide verifiable evidence to prove the allegations peddled against it as it is obvious that it is a case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

“The Commission wishes to appeal to Mr. President to protect it and rein in the Nigeria Police Force to respect the Constitutional Mandate of the Commission to recruit. The Nigeria Police Force is created to enforce the law and not to circumvent it in whatever guise.

“It is the considered opinion of the Commission that the successful candidates should be allowed to proceed on training without delay.”