The Police Service Commission (PSC) has intensified its efforts to eradicate corruption in the recruitment of police personnel, urging state governments to safeguard their recruitment quotas and prevent any hijacking of the process in their respective states.

At a stakeholders’ consultative meeting held on Thursday in Abuja, the PSC met with representatives from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to finalise plans for a more transparent, equitable, and credible recruitment exercise.

The 2025 recruitment will cover Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) and Constables.

The meeting, themed “Collaborative Approach for a Transparent and Equitable Police Recruitment Process,” sought to secure state-level commitment to ensuring fairness and merit in the selection of candidates.

Hashimu Argungu, PSC Chairman, said the commission was determined to stamp out slot trading and any form of connivance that undermines merit.

He emphasised that only qualified candidates would be selected, warning that “special considerations” will not be allowed to override fairness and equity.

“We want to stop corruption in the system and open up the exercise to promote healthy competition and equitable spread.

“State governments must protect their quotas and ensure the process is not hijacked,” Argungu said.

Argungu called for a constructive partnership with state authorities to curb malpractice in the recruitment process, stressing that this collaboration is key to producing a professional and representative police force.

Paul Adamu Galumje, retired Supreme Court Justice and PSC Commissioner representing the Judiciary, reminded participants that the commission was established to ensure fairness in police recruitment and operations.

He urged state representatives to verify the origin of all candidates before approval, stating, “We will rely on you to confirm that those to be recruited are truly from your states.”

Also speaking, Taiwo Lakanu (DIG, rtd), PSC Commissioner representing the Police, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to revamping the recruitment process to attract the best Nigerian youths into the police service.

He praised President Bola Tinubu for approving the exercise, calling it “a rare opportunity that will not be taken for granted.”

Onyemuche Nnamani, PSC Secretary, disclosed plans to establish state offices to strengthen the commission’s ability to fulfil its constitutional mandate.

He appealed to state governments for their support in this initiative.