IGP Egbetokun accuses PSC of fraud, corruption in police recruitment

Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun

Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has accused the Police Service Commission, PSC, of populating the recently released list of newly recruited constables with unqualified and untrained individuals.

Egbetokun said this in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Saturday.

He said the police has since dissociated itself from the published list and called for a review that will be transparent and credible.

Egbetokun said he has been inundated with complaints and allegations of corruption by unsuspecting candidates and stakeholders on the irregularities that marred the exercise.

According to him, names of screened candidates who were successful to the last stage were removed.

The IGP added that upon scrutiny of the list released on the PSC portal, it was discovered that 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.

The statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi reads: “The published list contains several names of candidates who failed either the Computer Based Test (CBT) or the physical screening exercise or both.

“There are those who made it to the last stage of the exercise but were disqualified having been found Medically unfit through the standardised medical test but who also made the list of successful candidates as published by the PSC.

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“Most worrisome is the allegation of financial dealings and corrupt practices leading to the outcome where unqualified and untrainable individuals have been shortlisted”.

IGP Egbetokun on June 10, 2024 wrote a letter of objection to the list addressed to the Chairman of the Commission, citing the discoveries listed above.

Adejobi said the reaction of the IGP was without prejudice to the power of the Commission to recruit for the police as ruled by the Supreme court stating: “this power does not include the power to recruit unqualified and untrained individuals for the police. Noting that it is the police that bears the brunt of recruitment of unqualified individuals and not the PSC.

“The same people who recruited anyhow for the police today will turn round to accuse the police tomorrow of inefficiency when their recruits start messing up”.

The State noted that the Police Service Commission, after the pronouncement of the Supreme Court ruling on the powers of the Commission to recruit for the Police, constituted a Joint Recruitment Board, to be headed by one of the Commissioners of the PSC, with the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Training and Development in the Police Force as its Secretary.

“But surprisingly, the Board was crippled and never allowed to carry out its mandate, insomuch that even the final list was not consented to by the Board.

“The Nigeria Police Force therefore takes exception to this unpleasant development and calls for a total review of the process with a view to recruiting qualified, competent, trainable and productive hands into the Nigeria Police Force, in line with the vision of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration on police reform.

“The NPF hereby reiterates that we are not unconcerned about the plights and ordeals of prospective recruits, who have been subjected to all forms of rigorous screening exercise, assuring that it is our commitment to ensure that the process is thoroughly reviewed, stands fruitful and successful for the betterment of the Nigeria Police, and by extension the country,” the statement added.