Fresh Crisis Brews As IGP, Police Service Commission Clash Over Constables Recruitment

Fresh crisis may be brewing between the leadership of the Nigerian Police led by the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, and the Police Service Commission over the recruitment of police constables.

Naija News reports that the Police and the PSC have a history of disagreeing on recruitment and other issues.

Recall that the former IGP, Mohammed Adamu, and the PSC Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, had clashed over m which body is allowed by law to recruit.

This resulted in a lawsuit when the PSC took IGP Idris and the Police to court for conducting the recruitment exercise of 10,000 constables in 2019.

The latest dispute started after the PSC had opened its portal for the recruitment of police constables for the year 2022 and also placed an advert on the recruitment in a national daily.

Angered by the PSC’s move, the Police, through the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, urged Nigerians to disregard the advertisement.

According to the police spokesperson, the advert was not in tandem with the police recruitment process.

The statement reads in part, “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to inform well-meaning members of the public that it has not commenced the 2022 police constables recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force contrary to a publication on Page 21 of Daily Sun Newspaper of Thursday, August 11, 2022, by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

“The police similarly state unequivocally that the advert has no connection with the Nigeria Police Force nor is it in tandem with the police recruitment process, and should be disregarded in all its entirety. The website to which the publication refers intending candidates – http://www.recruitment.psc.gov.ng – is not associated with the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Nigeria Police Force hereby calls on all stakeholders and intending applicants to discountenance the information in both the newspaper and on the portal as the website is not the official portal for Police Constables recruitment.”

Also speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television Sunrise Daily, CSP Muyiwa downplayed any rift with the PSC.

He, however, stated that the Force Headquarters was not informed about the recruitment, adding that he tried to reach authorities at the PSC to confirm the recruitment, but he was unsuccessful.