The Police Service Commission (PSC) has said it would recruit 30,000 Constables into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the next three years.
It said the recruitment will boost manpower for the fight against insurgency, armed banditry and kidnapping.
Chairman PSC, IGP Musuliu Smith (retd.), who made the disclosure at a media briefing in Abuja, said as soon as the 2020 exercise, which was delayed by litigations, is concluded, the commission would embark on the recruitment of another 10,000 for 2021 and subsequently, the 2022 edition, in fulfilment of the presidential directive for the recruitment of 60,000 personnel in 2018.
IGP Smith made this known following repeated calls and inquiries from Nigerians on the position of the commission on the on-going exercise, specifically on whether the commission was part of the process of completing the 2020 exercise.
He said aptitude tests for shortlisted applicants from the earlier suspended 2020 recruitment was held on Friday, October 29 and Saturday October 30, 2021 across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
“Mr. President, had, in 2018, approved the recruitment of 10,000 Nigerians annually into the Constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force for a period of six years.
“This is to inject needed additional personnel and to bridge the manpower gap in the force, especially with the resurgence of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping in different parts of the country and regular loss of personnel through dismissal, retirement, natural death, accident and others”, he said.
He said the 2020 recruitment exercise, which was suspended midway was the third edition in the fulfilment of the presidential directive after a successful 2018 and 2019 exercises.
“It is necessary to state that the on-going completion of the suspended 2020 edition was a joint decision of the commission and that of the NPF and it was meant to further fast track the injection of required personnel into the force.
“A joint committee of the commission and that of the NPF met severally in the commission and approved a timeline for the completion of the exercise,” he added.
He noted that with the completion of the aptitude tests across the country recently, successful candidates are currently undergoing medical examinations at the 17 zonal police headquarters in the country after which fit and proper 10,000 candidates would be recruited by the commission and sent to the police colleges/training schools for training.
“The commission is aware of the manpower gaps in the Nigeria Police Force especially with rapid wastages of officers and men due to many reasons earlier highlighted.
“The commission wishes to commend Mr. President for his kind and gracious approval for the recruitment of 10,000 Nigerians into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force continuously for six years. We are grateful to the National Assembly for the support in approving releases of required funds for this exercise,” he said.
