Saturday, June 15, 2024 -The Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission has described the allegations by the Nigeria Police Force over the recruitment exercise as diversionary.
The union noted that despite the
commission’s powers to recruit for the police were derived from the
constitution and has been affirmed by a Supreme Court judgment, the police
would not allow the commission to perform its duties.
The police had earlier in a statement by the
force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, rejected the names of those recruited by
the commission.
Adejobi added that the PSC portal was
scrutinised and 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.”
However, reacting to the allegations, the
union chairman, Adoyi Adoyi, said the commission was worried that the police
become confrontational during recruitment exercises, saying that this “suggests
obvious hidden interests and corrupt tendencies.”
The statement read, “The attention of the
Joint Union of the Staff of the Police Service Commission has been drawn to a
press release dated June 15, 2024, and signed by the FPRO, on behalf of the
Inspector General of Police.
“The said press statement is not only in a
bad taste but diversionary. It is sad to note that despite the unambiguity in
the powers of the PSC as spelt out by the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria and the subsequent interpretation of such powers by the Supreme
Court, the Nigeria Police Force will still not allow the commission exercise
its constitutional powers to appoint persons into the Nigeria Police Force.
“This clandestine scheme by the Inspector
General of Police to usurp such powers is an affront to both the Nigerian
Constitution and the judgment of the Supreme Court. The commission is at a loss
as to why it is only during recruitment exercises that police confrontation
manifests, suggesting obvious hidden interests and corrupt tendencies.”
Adoyi said the PSC constituted a board that
had representatives from virtually all the stakeholders in the police sector
such as the commission, the police, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal
Character Commission, the Police Colleges and the Police Trust Fund.
“It is worthy of note that after the
commission got a judgment from the Supreme Court on the 11th of July, 2023
re-affirming its powers, the commission, to ensure inclusiveness, constituted a
recruitment board comprising of a Commissioner from the Police Service as
Chairman, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Development and Training
Department as Co-Chairman/Deputy Chairman, CP Hassan Yabanet representing
Police Training Colleges, Deputy Commissioner of Police Olabode Akinbamilowo as
Secretary to the Board amongst others, ” the statement stated.
He described the police’s claim that the
recruitment board was not allowed to perform its duties as false.
He said, “The claim that the Recruitment
Board was crippled and was not allowed to function, was no doubt a fallacy as
the Board severally met before the release of the list of successful
candidates. ”
He alleged that the police had shortlisted
candidates who were unknown to the board and PSC.
He claimed that the police submitted the
list to the commission and wanted to force it on the board, adding that the
plan did not materialise.
Adoyi said, “Meanwhile, it is also worthy of
note that the police had shortlisted and concluded the exercise without the
knowledge of the Board and PSC. They had the effrontery to submit the list to
the Commission. They wanted a meeting of the Board where they had planned to
force the list on the Board but unfortunately, their plans collapsed.”
Adoyi recalled how the then IG hijacked the
recruitment exercise and sneaked in the names of people who didn’t apply for
the job.
“For example, this takes us back to 2019
when the then IGP hijacked the list of candidates for the smooth ongoing
recruitment exercise from the Commission in the guise of having the list to
prepare the training colleges for training purposes and ended up smuggling
hundreds of names of persons who neither applied nor participated in the
screening process.
“A study case is Nasarawa State with 13
Local Government Areas that are supposed to have had 253 successful candidates
but ended up having 528 after the NPF had sneaked 275 candidates in excess.
That culminated in the Commission instituting legal action against the NPF over
our mandate, ” the statement added.
He, however, called for a forensic audit of
the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s Computer-Based Test results to
compare them with the list released by the commission and verify its
authenticity.
He said, “The commission demands a forensic
audit of the Joint And Matriculation Board Computer Based Test results and
compare it with the list released by the Commission. We insist that the list of
successful candidates as released by the Commission is open to anybody or
Organization for forensic examination to establish its authenticity.
“The commission will not at any time involve
itself in any untoward activities in the process of recruiting qualified
Nigerians into the Nigeria Police Force.”
He also said the police and any other interested bodies are” free to investigate any act of financial dealings and corrupt practices as alleged by the Force Public Relations Officer.”
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