February 25, (THEWILL) — The Police Service Commission (PSC) has screened out over 121,000 applicants in the ongoing recruitment exercise for constables into the Nigeria Police Force, with Adamawa State recording the highest number of applications nationwide.
Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters, Taiwo Lakanu, who disclosed this on Wednesday during a news conference in Abuja, said the development marked a significant milestone as the recruitment process advances to its next stage.
Lakanu said the commission received a total of 161,873 applications, out of which 121,596 applicants were screened out during the initial review process.
He added that 434,604 applicants successfully qualified for the next phase of the exercise, while 60,674 applications were declared invalid.
According to him, 348,974 applicants applied under the General Duty category, while 85,630 sought recruitment as Specialists. He further revealed that male applicants accounted for 442,592 submissions, compared to 114,640 female applicants.
The PSC official described the turnout as a clear demonstration of Nigerian youths’ continued confidence in the police as a career path centred on honour and national service.
Providing a breakdown of applications by state, Lakanu said Adamawa recorded the highest number with 38,989 applicants, followed by Benue with 34,511, Kaduna with 30,397, and Borno with 24,009.
States with the lowest figures included Ebonyi with 1,667 applicants, Anambra with 1,739, Bayelsa with 2,430, and Lagos State with 2,448 applications.
Lakanu noted that the commission initially observed significant disparities in participation across states at the early stage of the exercise.
He explained that, following consultations with the Nigeria Police Force and other stakeholders, the PSC approved a two-week extension of the application deadline to enable states with low turnout intensify sensitisation and mobilisation efforts.
He said the intervention yielded positive results, improving participation levels and ensuring broader national representation.
While acknowledging that some states still recorded relatively low application numbers, Lakanu maintained that the overall spread reflected adherence to the Federal Character principle, which the commission considers fundamental to the recruitment process.
“With this application phase now concluded, we are proceeding to the next critical stage of physical screening and verification of credentials,” he said, assuring applicants of transparency and fairness throughout the remaining stages of the recruitment exercise.
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