Ade Adebayo
No fewer than 925 people who didn’t apply for police recruitment have been smuggled into the list of 10,000 successful candidates, it has been revealed.
This revelation came from the Police Service Commission.
Recall that last year, police began the recruitment exercise of 10,000 officers who are expected to join the force after successfully meeting the requirements.
The PSC, while screening the list of successful candidates, discovered that names of some people numbering about 1000, who didn’t apply or go through the recruitment process and aptitude test and medical examination, have been smuggled into the list to be released.
PSC disclosed this while clearing the air on an allegation that it was withholding the payments of some Police Constables recruited last year.
It however said that in the overall interest of the nation and considering that resources had been expended in the training of the smuggled candidates, the Commission decided to rescreen them.
This, the PSC said, became necessary since these candidates had been exposed to weapon and weaponry.
Spokesperson for the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said all the Constables that were properly recruited had been screened and appointment letters released.
He added that capturing into the Integrated Pay-Roll and Personnel Information System for the payment of their salaries and allowances had also been approved.
The PSC said, “The Commission wishes to clarify that it had to bend backwards to accommodate the list of these candidates even after the Court of Appeal gave judgment in favour of the Commission nullifying the hijack of the recruitment exercise by the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Appeal Court judgment which is still subsisting had declared the exercise null and void and returned the Constitutional Powers of the commission to recruit all persons into the Nigeria Police Force.
“It is also necessary to clarify that in the cause of screening of the list of the 10,000 successful candidates, the commission discovered that 925 persons never applied for recruitment and did not go through the stages and processes of recruitment. These included screening, aptitude test and medical examinations.
“The commission however in the overall interest of the nation and considering that resources had been expended in the training of these candidates and that these candidates had been exposed to weapon and weaponry decided to rescreen them.
“These candidates already rescreened, except those found to be criminally minded (with mutilated certificates) are expected to be absorbed into the Force.”
“The Commission is expected to approve their recruitment at its next Plenary Meeting holding next week after which they will receive letters of appointment and subsequently captured by IPPIS.”