Police recruitment: PSC denies releasing list of successful candidates

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has disowned a list of successful candidates for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigerian Police Force being circulated on social media.

Mr Ikechukwu Ani, PSC’s Public Relations Officer, made this clarification in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

“The commission disowns the purported list circulating in some unofficial quarters meant to represent the names of successful applicants from the just concluded recruitment exercise.’’

He said that the commission was also aware of a press statement said to have emanated from the Force Public Relations Officer on the list of successful applicants, which had been disowned by the commission.

“The commission, however, wishes to direct that the Police Force should investigate the source of the fake news and bring the perpetrators to book.’’

According to him, the Joint Recruitment Board is the sole authority empowered by the constitution to recruit officers into the Nigeria Police.

“The powers followed a judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Suit No: SC/CV/773/2020 between the Nigeria Police Force and/ors v. Police Service Commission and Anor.’’

The spokesman said the commission would not abdicate its constitutional mandate to recruit without accommodating relevant stakeholders in the process.

He said that any attempt to release a list of successful candidates into the Nigeria Police Force at the moment would be contemptuous to constitutional and judicial pronouncements.

“The list of successful candidates for the 2022 recruitment exercise will soon be released by the commission,’’ he said.

Ani said that the commission had set up the Police Recruitment Board to ensure credibility and inclusiveness in the conduct of the recruitment exercise.

He said the board was made up of representatives of relevant stakeholders, including the PSC, the Nigeria Police Force, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal Character Commission, police Colleges and the Police Trust Fund.