PSC Dismisses Online Press Release Regarding Nigeria Police Candidate List

A news release on social media that instructed all candidates who have completed the various recruitment stages of the Nigeria Police Force to visit a website to view the final list has been retracted by the Police Service Commission.

An internet news release had surfaced, pointing candidates to a dubious website.

However, in a statement, Head of Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani denied both the statement and a rumoured list that was circulating in some unofficial areas and purported to include the names of the selected candidates from the just finished hiring process.

“The Force Public Relations Officer who was quoted as having signed the Press Statement on the release of the final list of successful applicants has since disowned the Statement,” he stated, “and the Commission is aware of this.”

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However, the Commission wants to order the Police Force to look into the origin of “that fake news” and apprehend those responsible.

“The Commission wishes to inform the general public that the Commission in pursuit of its Constitutional powers, the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Suit No: SC/CV/773/2020 between the Nigeria Police Force & ors v. Police Service Commission and anor and the Joint Recruitment Board is the sole authority on the Recruitment of Officers into the Nigeria Police Force.” It stated

The Commission wants to be clear that it will not be renunciating its constitutional responsibility to recruit and that it will continue to work with all relevant parties to fulfil this important duty.

It stated that any attempt, action, or inaction on the part of any person, persons, office, or offices to divulge a list of selected candidates for the Nigeria Police Force is a disrespectful gesture towards the court’s and the constitution’s rulings, and it will be handled as such.

The Commission plans to reveal the list of qualified applicants for the 2022 recruitment soon.

It is essential to note that the Commission established a Police recruiting Board composed of representatives from pertinent stakeholders in the police sector in an effort to guarantee legitimacy and inclusivity in the conduct of the recruiting process. These consist of the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission, the Federal Character Commission, the Police Trust Fund, the Police Colleges, and the Ministry of Police Affairs.

“The Commission established the Recruitment Board, a multi-sector stakeholders body, to serve as a unifying body for a crisis-free recruitment exercise, out of good conscience and to avoid the pitfalls of previous exercises that ran into troubled waters and pitted the Commission against the Nigeria Police Force.”