The Nigeria Police Force has appealed to Nigerians to recommend ‘responsible’ individuals for recruitment into the force and not bad people terrorising communities.
Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had in a statement on Friday announced the commencement of the recruitment process for individuals into the rank of police constables in the General Duty and Specialist Cadres.
Mr Adejobi, an assistant commissioner of police, said the Police Recruitment Board would open the application portal for six weeks from 15 October to 26 November.
‘Not bad types’
Following enquiries from Nigerians, the police spokesperson in Gombe State, Mahid Muazu, in a post via his verified X handle (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, spoke about the recruitment.
Mr Muazu, an assistant superintendent of police, asked residents to send only ‘best individuals’ for the police job.
Yes, we are recruiting but we are begging you to send us the best of your candidates to apply not the bad types terrorising your communities, we are already putting in combined efforts to sanitise the system,” he said in response to the enquiries.
Similarly, the police spokesperson in Delta State, Bright Edafe, also spoke about the recruitment.
“Ladies and gentlemen (for) those sending me direct messages on police recruitment. It’s out now, please slide into the website, apply and hope to be employed if you are qualified so you can contribute your own quota,” Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, wrote on his X handle.
“Please, we want only responsible people,” he stressed.
Connecting the dots
Cases of police brutality against residents have been on the increase in Nigeria lately, with police authorities saying “a few bad eggs” were responsible for the incidents.
Mr Muazu’s “we are already putting in combined efforts to sanitise the system’ comment somewhat highlights the concerns over the increasing violation of police codes in Nigeria.
On Saturday, the force spokesperson, Mr Adejobi, reiterated that any armed police operative who extorts a Nigerian is an armed robber.
In October 2020, Nigerian youths protested against police brutality across the country and called for the disbandment of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Unit (SARS) of the police.
Despite SARS disbandment, the cases of police brutality have persisted across the country.
Six officers, for instance, were caught in a viral video, in April, using a machete to hit two unidentified people in Imo State.
The police in the state would later begin an ‘orderly room trial’ of the officers.
Last month, four police officers were arrested for allegedly assaulting a traveller in Rivers State.
Days after, a young man accused some officers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of allegedly kidnapping, locking him up in a police cell and forcing him to pay a sum of money before being released.
The police in the state subsequently arrested the officers who allegedly carried out the act.
In April, a police officer filmed slapping a motorist in the Emouha Area of the state, was demoted.
The Emouha incident occurred a few days after Ubi Ebri, another officer, allegedly shot dead a young man in the neighbouring Delta State for reportedly refusing to give a N100 bribe.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how youths in Delta State protested with the victim’s corpse along major roads in Asaba.
Mr Ebri, the officer, was immediately arrested, dismissed from service and later arraigned.
