Police Recruitment: Over 190,000 Applications Rejected

FIVE hundred and seven thousand, seven hundred and seventy-four (547,774) applications for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force have so far been received in the Police Recruitment portal, which closes next Sunday, November 26, 2023, which will be exactly the 6-week mandatory requirement for such exercise by the Federal Character Commission. The portal was opened on October 15, 2023, five weeks ago.

According to the spokesperson for the Police Service Commission, Ikechukwu Ani, “Out of the 547,774 applicants, 358,900 were successful and qualified for the next round of the recruitment process, which includes the physical, credentials, medical, and strict background checks of the applicants.

“A total of 84,606 applicants were rejected for being overage. Applicants are expected to be between the ages of 18 and 25.

“Kaduna State maintained its first position as the state with the highest number of applicants, with 40,272 in Anambra. Still stuck in the last position with 1664. Adamawa State is second with 36,398 applications, and Bornu State is third with 32,048. Benue State with 31,122 is fourth, Katsina State with 30,202 is 5th, Bauchi State with 30,604 is 6th, and Kano State with 30,004 is 7th.

Ebonyi State, with 2132 applications, is next to Anambra from the rear, followed by Lagos State with 2324 applicants. Bayelsa State is 4th from the rear with 2651, while Abia State has 2796 and is 5th from the rear.”

The Commission’s boss, Dr. Solomon Arase, expressed his satisfaction with the number of applications already received. He observed that it is obvious that Nigerian youths have decided to show incredible interest in pursuing a career in the Nigeria Police, a development he said augurs well for the “new police we are building”.

He appealed once again to the youths of the South-East to change their indifference to police work, insisting that embracing anti-government criminal gangs will not lead them anywhere.

He advised that they should be concerned about what will become of the region in the future, as no development can thrive in a terror-ravaged community.

He noted that the Commission will do its best to ensure that the recruitment is strictly based on defined criteria with merit and justice prevalent throughout the processes.