Police Service Commission Asserts Authority Over Recruitment

The Police Service Commission (PSC) in Nigeria is pushing back against allegations made by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) regarding the recruitment of constables.

“The Commission has studied the issues around this successfully concluded recruitment exercise and has come to the conclusion that even after the Supreme Court Judgment, the Police is reluctant to allow the Commission perform this constitutional assignment,” PSC in a statement signed its spokesman Ikechukwu Ani, reads.

According to the statement sighted by Diaspora Digital Media, the commission accused the NPF of attempting to usurp its powers, saying “it is obvious that it is a case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.”

The PSC demanded evidence to support the allegations made against it, stating “the Police should provide verifiable evidence to prove the allegations peddled against it.”

The commission also called for a forensic audit to verify the list of successful candidates, using the results of the JAMB computer-based test. “The Commission is also insisting that its list of successful candidates and that of the Police should be subjected to a forensic audit using the result of the JAMB computer based test,” the statement read.

The PSC appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and protect its mandate, saying “the Commission wishes to appeal to Mr. President to protect it and rein in the Nigeria Police Force to respect the Constitutional Mandate of the Commission to recruit.”

The dispute between the PSC and NPF has been ongoing since 2019, when the police force allegedly hijacked the recruitment exercise.

The commission’s statement emphasized its commitment to exercising full control over recruitments into the Nigeria Police Force, as stipulated by the Constitution and the Supreme Court judgment. “The Nigeria Police Force is created to enforce the law and not to circumvent it in whatever guise,” the PSC said.

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