Police: Constables recruitment marred with irregularities, corruption

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has raised the alarm on the irregularities and alleged corruption of the recently released names of successful candidates in the ongoing Police Constables recruitment exercise.

The police said 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, especially the disappearance of the names of screened candidates who were successful to the last stage.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, made this known in a statement on Saturday, June 15, 2024.

Adejobi noted that upon careful scrutiny of the list released on the PSC portal, it was discovered that several names of persons purported to be names of successful candidates were those who did not apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment exercise.

He added: “The published list contains several names of candidates who failed either the Computer Based Test (CBT) or the physical screening exercise or both.

“There are those who made it to the last stage of the exercise but were disqualified having been found medically unfit through the standardised medical test but who also made the list of successful candidates as published by the PSC.

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“Most worrisome is the allegation of financial dealings and corrupt practices leading to the outcome where unqualified and untrainable individuals have been shortlisted.”

He stated that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on June 10, wrote a letter of objection to the list addressed to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), citing the discoveries listed above.

The police spokesman said: “The reaction of the IGP was without prejudice to the power of the Commission to recruit for the police as ruled by the Supreme court but this power does not include the power to recruit unqualified and untrained individuals for the police.

“Noting that it is the police that bears the brunt of recruitment of unqualified individuals and not the PSC.

“The same people who recruited anyhow for the police today will turn round to accuse the police tomorrow of inefficiency when their recruits start messing up.

“The Police therefore have since dissociated itself from the published list and called for a review that will be transparent and credible.”

Adejobi added that the NPF “reiterates that we are not unconcerned about the plights and ordeals of prospective recruits, who have been subjected to all forms of rigorous screening exercise, assuring that it is our commitment to ensure that the process is thoroughly reviewed, stands fruitful and successful for the betterment of the Nigeria Police, and by extension the country.”

The Star