PSC enlists PCRC to safeguard integrity of 50,000 Police Constables recruitment

2026-03-05 - 11:17

By Kingsley Omonobi Abuja — The Police Service Commission (PSC) has co-opted the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) as key partners in the screening of 50,000 police constables, in what it described as a landmark move to safeguard the integrity of the largest single recruitment exercise in the history of the Nigeria Police Force. The Commission said the collaboration was sealed during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened in Abuja as part of preparations for the physical and credentials screening stage of the recruitment exercise scheduled to begin on Monday, March 9, 2026, at designated centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. In a statement issued by the PSC spokesman, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, the Commission said the engagement with the PCRC forms part of broader efforts to ensure transparency and credibility in the recruitment process. Chairman of the PSC, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Hashimu Argungu, who chaired the meeting, commended members of the PCRC for their commitment to supporting national security and community policing initiatives. He urged the committee to extend the same dedication to the recruitment exercise, stressing that the quality of personnel admitted into the force would determine its effectiveness. “The Commission is resolutely poised to ensure that only credible Nigerians wear the uniform of a Police Constable. An effective police force is built on the quality of its recruitment,” Argungu said. He called on PCRC state chairmen to collaborate closely with PSC officials, state employment and career departments, as well as the Nigeria Police Force State Intelligence Departments (SID), in scrutinising applicants. According to him, their responsibilities will include verifying applicants’ indigene-ship and character to prevent individuals with questionable backgrounds from entering the force. “You are the eyes and ears of the community. Help us maintain the credibility of this exercise in your states and serve as good ambassadors of the process,” he added. Responding on behalf of the PCRC National Chairman, Alhaji Ibraheem Olaniyan, the Deputy National President (North), Ambassador Wada Sadiq, thanked the PSC for the confidence reposed in the committee and pledged its full cooperation in ensuring that only credible candidates are recruited. “We appreciate the inclusive approach being adopted by the PSC leadership in implementing this directive. We understand the responsibility before us and assure the Commission and the nation that we will justify the confidence reposed in us,” Sadiq said. The meeting was attended by PCRC state chairmen from across the 36 states and the FCT, as well as zonal coordinators and members of the PSC board, including retired Justice Paul Adamu Galumje and Dr. Taiwo Lakanu, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police and Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters.