The Police Service Commission, PSC, Thursday disclosed that more than 90 percent of applicants seeking recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force failed the recruitment examination.
The Commissioner representing Human Rights and Non Governmental Organizations, NGOs, in the Commission, Mr. Rommy Mom who made this known at a Community Engagement Forum organised by the PSC in Makurdi said it was disheartening that the applicants fail to score up to 30 percent in the exams.
He said the development among others was a major challenge the Commission would work hard to correct in future recruitment exercises the PSC would conduct.
According to Mr. Mom: “The PSC during these recruitments has some observations, which are rather disheartening and we hope there will be a reversal going forward. Security is key to the development and enjoyment of peace.
“An additional concern is the fact that most of the applicants seem academically challenged, as more than 90 percent of the applicants have consistently failed to score up to 30 percent in the examination.
“This is a sad reflection of the caliber of officers that will be patrolling our communities in the event that these persons actually end up being enlisted into the police.
“The society must encourage upright and responsible citizens to apply for recruitment; if our responsible and upright young ones are discouraged from joining the police where are we going to source for the police officers of our dreams?”
He said when that is done, the police would take its pride of place in the society in the next five years.
Speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in the state, the Ter Tyoshin, Chief Daniel Abomtse lamented that people of questionable character including criminals and terrorists were being recruited into a strategic security organization like the Police Force.
He called for the decentralization of the recruitment into the Force to allow traditional and community leaders as well as Local Government Council Chairmen have their inputs in order to check the recruitment of people of questionable character into the force so as to bring about the desirable police force for the country.
Earlier, the Special Adviser, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Ken Achabo noted that traditional rulers had key roles to play to ensure security in the communities saying it was a responsibility they must be prepared to shoulder.
