The Police Service Commission has announced the approval and release of a list of 10,000 successful applicants for recruitment into the constable and specialist cadres of the Nigeria Police Force.

The commission noted that to ensure fairness and justice in the recruitment process, it worked with relevant stakeholders, including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission.

It added that it ensured equity in the spread of successful candidates across the 774 local government areas of the country.

The spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, made the development known in a statement on Tuesday.

Ani said, “The Police Service Commission has approved and released the list of 10,000 successful applicants for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force.

“The commission today, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, received the report of the Police Recruitment Board. 9,000 applicants were approved for recruitment for general duty while 1,000 applicants were recruited for the specialist cadre.

“To ensure fairness and justice in the recruitment process, the commission worked with guidance from relevant stakeholders, including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission.

“It ensured equity in the spread of successful candidates across the 774 local government areas of the country.”

The commission had earlier inaugurated a recruitment board – a broad-based stakeholders’ body populated by representatives from the PSC, the NPF, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal Character Commission, Police Colleges and the Police Trust Fund, to superintend over the recruitment process.

Also, interested Nigerian youths were invited to apply online for consideration for the subsequent stages of the exercise, through paid advertisements in several national media.

The online application was done in six weeks, between October 15, 2023, and November 26, 2023, as the commission said a total of 609,886 applications were received, while 416,323 applicants who met the requirements were shortlisted for the second stage of the exercise.

The physical and document screening stage was held in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory between Monday, January 8, 2024 and Monday, January 29, 2024.

The commission said after the physical and credentials screening, it shortlisted 171,956 applicants for the computer-based tests conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board.

Ani noted that “15,447 general duty applicants who did well in the CBT were further invited for medical screening to determine their health status.

“The 55,645 specialists who were shortlisted from the physical and credentials screening were subjected to practical tests and later medical screening. Each stage of the recruitment process was carried out with a high level of scrutiny and care.

“A total of 10,000 applicants made up of 9,000 general duty and 1,000 specialists were recommended for final selection.

“The selection of specialists was done in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force on the need assessment, ensuring capability and balance of geographical representation.”

The statement asked the candidates to check the status of their application through the Police Service Commission’s dedicated web page.

Speaking on the recruitment, the Chairman of the commission, Dr Solomon Arase, a retired Inspector General of Police, said, “I am filled with optimism because these young men and women represent the future of our nation’s security and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that their journey begins on a foundation of integrity, transparency and excellence.”

The PSC chairman disclosed that the entire process reflects a deliberate effort to build a Police Force that is competent, reliable and truly representative of the best that Nigeria has to offer.

On the appointment structure, Arase said to ensure fairness and inclusivity, 10 candidates were selected from each of the 774 local government areas, as advised by the National Assembly in its plenary on February 29, 2024.

The PSC chairman disclosed that to uphold the highest standards of confidentiality, a “list of successful candidates must be presented to the public in a manner compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.”

This, he noted, would ensure that the personal data of the recruits entering a sensitive security organisation remained secure, thereby protecting their personal and family safety.