Police Service Commission Published 2023 Recruitment Special List? Fact Emerges

• A list of police recruitment titled “2023 Police Special List” has been trending on social media since late 2023
• Legit.ng reports that the PSC is in charge of the hiring, discipline and dismissal of the police who are the primary law enforcement officers in Nigeria
• A fact check revealed that the said publication was planted to confuse and defraud Nigerian youths

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 6-year-experience covering public journalism

FCT, Abuja - A message that has been circulating on the social networking site, Facebook, since December 2023 claims that the Police Service Commission (PSC) has published a “2023 recruitment special list”.

The PSC is the civilian oversight body established under the Nigerian Constitution for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

It has the power to appoint, promote, discipline and dismiss all officers of the NPF except the inspector-general of police (IGP).

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The message reads:

“Shortlist of the 2023 Nigeria Police recruitment Special List has been released.

"It contains hundreds of names, along with their state and national identity numbers

A screengrab of the “special list” also appeared on Facebook here, and here.

But is this true? Legit.ng checked.

‘Fake publication’

The PSC disowned the “special” list in a statement, describing it as “fictitious”.

It said:

“The publication for all intents and purposes is obviously planted to confuse and further defraud Nigerian youths who must have genuinely applied for consideration for recruitment into the Constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force."

Police Service Commission makes promotions

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the PSC approved the promotion of 5718 senior police officers comprising those in general duties and specialist cadres of the Nigeria Police Force.

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The senior police officers promoted include commissioners of police and deputies who appeared before the commission for promotion interviews.

IGP announces shake-up

Legit.ng also reported that the IGP named Disu Olatunji Ridwan as the new police commissioner in Rivers state.

Ridwan was the former Rapid Response Squad (RRS) commander, a special team in the Lagos police command before he was promoted to take over from the embattled Abba Kyari and head the police intelligence response team (IRT).

Tinubu orders withdrawal of police from VIPs

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has ordered that police personnel should be withdrawn from the security files of the VIPs.

Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, the minister of state for police affairs, stated that the president's directive would be prosecuted by the police high command while developing a community policing strategy, among others.

Source: Legit.ng