Minister Of Police Affairs intervenes in constable recruitment controversy

• The Police Service Commission (PSC) had published the list of 10,000 applicants for these roles.
• 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.

Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, the Minister of Police Affairs, is intervening to mediate a dispute between the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Force.

The conflict arose when the Police Service Commission published a list of 10,000 successful candidates for police recruitment on June 4, only for the police force to reject it on June 15, citing corrupt practices and irregularities in the selection process.

The police force had claimed the recruitment exercise was tampered with, prompting the rejection.

The Minister of Police Affairs is now stepping in to investigate and resolve the matter, aiming to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process that moves forward without further issues.

The statement by the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, read, “Several names of persons purported to be names of successful candidates are those who did not even apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment.”

Following the action of the police, the commission’s union called for the removal of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for misrepresenting facts on the recruitment.

The PSC in its first response on the matter, challenged the police to provide evidence to substantiate its claim that the recruitment exercise was characterized by corruption.

On June 25, the PSC Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, stressed that the final list of successful candidates from the recruitment would never be cancelled, insisting that the exercise was done in accordance with relevant laws.

Speaking on the intervention by the minister, the Ministry of Police Affairs spokesperson, Bolaji Kazeem, on Friday told our correspondent that the minister was working to reconcile the two organisations.

He added that the minister would ensure that the issue did not spiral out of control.

Kazeem said, “Minister working underground to resolve the issue between the two organisations. He doesn’t want the matter to go out of hand.”