Minister intervenes in IG, PSC dispute over police recruitment

The Minister of Police Affairs, Sen. Ibrahim Gaidam, has stepped in to mediate in the dispute between the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Persecondnews recalls that on June 4, following the completion of the recruitment process, the PSC published a list of 10,000 candidates selected for constable and specialist positions in the NPF.

However, on June 15, the police authorities repudiated the list, citing widespread corruption and irregularities in the recruitment exercise.

The statement by the force spokesperson, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “Several names of persons purported to be names of successful candidates are those who did not even apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment exercise.”

In response to the police statement, the PSC demanded the removal of Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, accusing him of deliberately spreading false information and misrepresenting the facts surrounding the recruitment exercise.

The PSC has issued a response, calling on the police to produce concrete evidence to support their allegations of corruption and irregularities in the exercise.

Ikechukwu Ani, the Head of Press and Public Relations at the PSC, reiterated on June 25 that the list of successful candidates from the recruitment exercise will not be annulled, emphasizing that the recruitment process was conducted in strict adherence to the relevant laws and regulations.

The Ministry of Police Affairs’ spokesperson, Bolaji Kazeem, disclosed on Friday that the minister is actively mediating the dispute between the PSC and NPF in an effort to resolve their disagreements and stop the situation from getting worse.

He said: “The Minister is working underground to resolve the issue between the two organisations. He doesn’t want the matter to go out of hand.”