The Police Service Commission (PSC) has said the image of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is being tarnished by the “fraudulent” recruits it hired in the past.
This is as it said the recent recruitment of 10,000 eligible constables into the force, followed due process, as all candidates have been fully certified fit for the job.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, on Thursday, Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, insisted that he would not accept the list of the candidates recruited by the PSC.
Egbetokun said his resolve on the issue was based on the fact that he is leading over 300,000 officers across the country, the number he described as the largest in Africa, and they are all looking up to him for clear guidance and leadership.
The IGP said he has a duty to ensure quality recruitment into the force.
He had said, “I cannot sit down and look on and see how recruitment into the police force is anyhow. I cannot afford to disappoint the officers and men that he is leading. I have a duty to ensure quality recruitment into the police.
“And that includes quality participation of the police in the recruitment exercise. And that is exactly what we are doing. We are doing everything possible to make sure that qualified and capable individuals are recruited into the police.
“The problems we are having with the police now start with the recruitment. If we don’t pay attention to recruitment, a disaster is awaiting us. We can’t sit here as members of the force management team and allow that to happen.”
Reacting, Ikechukwu Ani, the Head of Press and Public Relations in a statement on Friday, said since the police “forcefully snatched” the recruitment exercise from the commission, they had gone against the provisions of the law.
Ani said: “It is unfortunate that the Police has attributed its obvious failure to protect lives and properties, and safeguard our nation from banditry and terrorism to bad recruitment. This claim is self indicting and provocative
“Since 2019 when the Police forcefully snatched the exercise from the Commission, they have gone ahead against the provisions of the law to Superintendent over the 2020 and 2021 exercises. It is the fraudulent Recruits they brought into the system during these exercises that are currently haunting the Nigeria Police Force.”