The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun yesterday denied reports of disagreement between the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Police Service Commission (NSC) over the recruitment of constables.
Egbetokun explained that what was being perceived as a controversy over the exercise was his insistence that quality recruitment into the Police Force must be made.
He said that some persons listed as successful candidates were either untrainable or living with disabilities.
The Police boss made the clarification at a meeting with senior police officers on the provision of security ahead of and after the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states in Abuja.
At the meeting with the officers, Egbetokun made reference to a Supreme Court verdict, which according to him, did not exclude the Force from being a part of the recruitment of Police personnel.
He also clarified that the Police were not against the recruitment of Persons Living With Disabilities(PLWD). He said the plan was on to accommodate PLWDs interested in being policemen and officers in the future.
He said: “The judgment of the Supreme Court is sound and clear. I don’t have issues with it.
The court did not exclude the police from participating in the recruitment process into the Police Force. It is expected that while recruiting into the police force, the commission should carry the Police along.
“The IGP leads the largest police force in Africa. Over 300, 000 police officers look up to him for guidance and leadership. He cannot sit down and see how the recruitment exercise is carried out anyhow. The IGP has a duty to ensure quality recruitment into the Police Force. And that is exactly what we are doing.
“We are doing everything possible to make sure that qualified and trainable individuals are recruited into the Force. The problems we are having in the police now started with recruitment.
“If we don’t pay attention to the recruitment a disaster awaits us. That is why we are raising issues where there are issues.
‘’We have written to the PSC over the published names of the successful candidates. So there is no fight between the police and PSC. The police will play their roles, the PSC will play its roles.
“We cannot allow individuals with bad eyesight. We cannot afford to recruit the deaf and dump them on the police. Don’t get me wrong, they are human beings.
“For now, the Nigerian Police Force does not have space for them. Maybe later in the future, we will start…… because modern policing is inclusive. By then we will have space for them so that they will come and function well in the police.
“We do not want to recruit people who will come and commit suicide in the police. Police job is too sensitive; So, we have to be very careful.
“Anybody can call for my removal. Anybody who doesn’t like me can come out tomorrow and say remove the IGP, that is not a problem. We are all entitled to our opinions.”
On his achievements in the last year, the IG said: “ We have faced significant challenges from terrorism, banditry to kidnapping and armed robbery.
‘’Despite these threats, we have remained resilient and steadfast in our mandate.
‘’ I commend our officers for their dedication and hard work, demonstrated by their exemplary performance across various duty stations.
Our efforts to grow capacity, improve services, and strengthen relationships with sister services and the public have yielded positive results in our fight against crime nationwide.
“Nigeria has grappled with various security challenges for years, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, secessionist agitation, cyber-crimes, and other criminalities. To address these, we conceived a special police intervention unit, the Special Intervention Squad (SIS), consisting of specially trained officers focused solely on rapid and proactive crisis intervention.
‘’The SIS has achieved significant successes, particularly in FCT(Federal Capital Territory) where it was launched on January 17, 2024.
“We must continue to sustain our strategies and maintain internal security. The need to enhance our Intelligence arm led to the upgrade of the Force Intelligence Bureau to a full-fledged Department, headed by a Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
“This strategic investment underscores our commitment to modernising the Nigeria Police Force. Assistant Commissioners of Police now head both Zonal and State Intelligence Departments, enhancing our operational effectiveness.
“The Nigeria Police Force has a crucial role in combating money laundering and terrorism financing. To strengthen our capabilities and demonstrate our commitment to combating financial crimes, we have established a dedicated Anti-Money Laundering {AML} Section at the Force Criminal Investigation Department. This will be replicated at all Zonal and State commands.”