Abuja: The Police Service Commission (PSC) announced that more than 121,596 applicants have been screened out from the 616,873 applications received in the ongoing recruitment process for Constables into the Nigeria Police Force. This information was disclosed by Dr. Taiwo Lakanu, the Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters, during a news conference in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, 434,604 applicants have been deemed qualified for the next stage of the recruitment process, following the screening, while 60,674 applications were found to be invalid. Among the applicants, 348,974 applied for General Duty roles, and 85,630 sought Specialist positions. The gender breakdown revealed that 442,592 of the applicants were male, and 114,640 were female, illustrating the high level of interest among Nigerian youths in pursuing a career in the Nigeria Police Force.
Dr. Lakanu highlighted an issue regarding state participation, noting significant disparities in application numbers across different states. In response to this imbalance, the commission extended the application deadline by two weeks, allowing states with low participation to bolster their sensitisation and mobilisation efforts. This intervention led to positive outcomes, with states like Adamawa recording the highest number of applications at 38,989, followed by Benue with 34,511, Kaduna State with 30,397, and Borno with 24,009.
Conversely, states with the lowest application numbers included Ebonyi with 1,667 applicants, Anambra with 1,739, Bayelsa with 2,430, and Lagos State with 2,448. Despite these variances, Dr. Lakanu emphasized that the overall national spread adheres to the principle of Federal Character, which remains a priority for the PSC. With the application phase now concluded, the commission is set to proceed to the next vital stage of physical screening and verification of credentials.