The Police Service Commission (PSC) has released the list of 10,000 successful applicants in the ongoing police recruitment.
The Commission said that merit, gender sensitivity and federal character were its guiding principles in the selection of successful applicants for recruitment into the Constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force.
It has also received the report of the Police Recruitment Board, which revealed that “9,000 applicants were approved for recruitment for General Duty, while, 1,000 applicants were recruited for the Specialists cadre.”
The Chairman of PSC, Dr. Solomon Arase, in a statement signed by the Head, of Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, said that the Commission worked with guidance from relevant stakeholders, including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission, to ensure fairness and justice in the recruitment process.
He added that the collaboration with major stakeholders ensured equity in the spread of successful candidates across the 774 local government areas of the country.
“The Police Service Commission has approved and released the list of 10,000 successful applicants for recruitment into the Constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force. The Commission today (Tuesday) June 4th, 2024, received the report of the Police Recruitment Board. 9,000 applicants were approved for recruitment for General Duty, while 1,000 applicants were recruited for the Specialists cadre,” the statement said.
“To ensure fairness and justice in the recruitment process, the Commission worked with guidance from relevant stakeholders, including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission.
“The Commission had earlier inaugurated a Recruitment Board – a broad-based stakeholders body populated by representatives from the Commission, the Nigeria Police Force, the Ministry of Police Affairs, Federal Character Commission, Police Colleges and the Police Trust Fund to superintendent over the recruitment process and report back to the Commission,” it added.
Arase said that interested Nigerian youths were invited to apply online for consideration for the subsequent stages of the exercise through paid advertisements in several national media.
He added that interested applicants were also given six weeks to conclude the online applications from 15th October to 26th November 2023 in line with the Federal Character requirements.
According to him, a total of 609,886 applications were received, while 416,323 applicants who met the advertisement requirements were shortlisted for the second stage of the exercise which was physical and document screening.
Arase added that the stage was held in the 36 states of the federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory between Monday, 8th, to Monday 29th, January, 2024.
“The Commission, after the physical and credentials screening, shortlisted 171,956 applicants who met the requirements for the Computer-Based Tests (CBT) conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), an organisation renowned for its expertise in computer-based tests,” Arase added.
According to him, 15,447 general duty applicants who did well in the CBT, were further invited for medical screening to determine their health status.
He noted that the 55,645 specialists who were shortlisted from the physical and credentials screening were subjected to practical tests and later medical screening.
Each stage of the recruitment process, he said, was carried out with a high level of scrutiny and care.
“A total of 10,000 applicants made up of 9,000 General Duty and 1,000 specialists were recommended for final selection. The selection of specialists were done in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force on the need assessment ensuring capability and balance of geographical representation,” he said.
Arase said the thorough recruitment process was to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force and to reinforce its commitment to community-rooted and service-oriented policing.
“I am filled with optimism because these young men and women represent the future of our nation’s security and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that their journey begins on a foundation of integrity, transparency and excellence.”
The PSC chairman added that the entire process reflected a deliberate effort to build a Police Force that is competent, reliable and truly representative of the best that Nigeria has to offer.
He noted that the final selection process was meticulously structured to ensure fairness and inclusivity with 10 candidates selected from each of the 774 local government areas as advised by the National Assembly in its plenary decision of Thursday, February 29th, 2024 with a view to creating a representative and diverse Police Force.
He also noted that to uphold the highest standards of confidentiality, the list of successful candidates must be presented to the public in a manner that is compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
This, Arase noted, would ensure that the personal data of the recruits who are entering a sensitive security organisation, remained secure, thereby protecting their personal and family safety.
