A tussle between the Nigeria Police and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over yearly recruitment of police constables has become a long running mess. Against the backdrop of a dogfight that blew open in 2020, the two organisations have lately sparred again over recruitment for 2022.
President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 gave approval for recruitment of 60,000 constables over a six-year period, making 10,000 constables to be recruited yearly. But it’s been in dispute who should handle that exercise: the PSC or the Nigeria Police. The police insists on conducting the recruitment, apparently because the constables will be working in the establishment and in line with the operational agenda of the Police Inspector-General (IGP). But the PSC has in its favour a constitutional provision and a subsisting verdict by the court of appeal.
Last Tuesday, the service commission shelved the 2022 recruitment of constables after the police establishment disowned the exercise. In a statement, PSC spokesman Ikechukwu Ani said the suspension of the recruitment was to allow for resolution of contentious issues with the Nigeria Police in national interest. “All interested applicants and other Nigerians desirous of a career in the Nigeria Police Force should exercise patience while these issues are being resolved,” he added. Before the PSC statement, the Nigeria Police had disclaimed an advertisement by the commission announcing the commencement of 2022 recruitment of constables. Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi, asked the public to disregard the PSC’s call for applications, saying inter alia: “The police states 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”
In 2021, there was a similar tussle as police leadership invited qualified applicants seeking to be recruited as constables after the PSC had announced plans to commence that year’s recruitment. The 2020 exercise ran into troubled waters when the police establishment insisted it had the mandate to recruit constables, while PSC claimed it was constitutionally empowered to so do. That dispute became a subject of litigation. The police won at the Federal High Court in Abuja, but the verdict was set aside by the Court of Appeal which affirmed the PSC’s constitutional mandate to recruit police constables. Whereas police authorities gave indications at the time they would challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court, they are yet to approach the apex court.
Since the matter is already before the judiciary, it is obviously beyond the purview of presidential order to resolve. So, the Nigeria Police should approach the Supreme Court urgently to get the final word on this long running mess.