SaharaReporters learnt that the cadets, who consist of both Inspectors and Assistant Superintendents of Police, were shortlisted in December 2016 in the national dailies for their documentation and training.
No fewer than 500 cadets who were successful specialist candidates for the Nigeria Police Force recruitment in 2016 have cried out over abandonment by the force, after having undergone all screening and procedures.
SaharaReporters learnt that the cadets, who consist of both Inspectors and Assistant Superintendents of Police, were shortlisted in December 2016 in the national dailies for their documentation and training.
Some of them who spoke with SaharaReporters said they had reported to the Nigeria Police College in Ikeja, Lagos State and Jos, Plateau State, before the Police Service Commission (PSC) withdrew them, with the assurance that they would hear from the Force later to continue with their training as specialists.
One of them told SaharaReporters that since 2016, they had not heard anything from the police.
"We are 500 for both Inspectors and Assistant Superintendent of Police. We were shortlisted in the national dailies on December 26, 2016, for our documentation and training. After we had reported to the police college in Ikeja and Jos, on December 30, the PSC withdrew us from the college that we would hear from them later in order to continue our training as specialists.
“But since then and this is 2021, we have not heard any feedback from them. The PSC and the Nigeria Police Force started inviting 2020 constables candidates back for the conclusion of their recruitment, while we, the cadets specialist candidates of 2016, are yet to be called or even notified on any update,” he lamented.
"We have undergone all screening protocols, scaled through every procedure and finished all our recruitment exercises since 2016. It was just for us to go for our documentation and training; up till today our names are on the website of PSC and on national dailies," another victim explained.
One of the letters obtained by SaharaReporters and signed by one Suleiman K. Gambo for the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the PSC, dated March 17, 2021, and titled "Re-Letter Of Requiring For Official Address" confirmed that the specialists should have been invited for interview between December 21 to December 23, 2016.
The letter read, “I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated March 6, 2017, on the above subject matter. The commission in its press release of Friday, March 10, 2017, stated clearly that the Specialists Cadre scheduled for interview on the list published in Daily Sun of the 26 December 2016 will be invited for interview at the appropriate time.
"The specialists would have been invited for interview since 21-23 of December 2016, but along the preparation, it received letters from different professional bodies questioning the qualification of some of the candidates on the published list.
"The Bodies said the Specialists referred to on the list are professionals and that most of the professions being regulated ones, the affected candidates must be registered and licensed before they can be employed by any organisation.
"For this reason, the commission has to suspend the Specialists interview until the issues raised by the Professional Bodies are resolved.
"However, as soon as these issues are resolved, action that is deemed fit will be taken," the letter had noted.
"We are pleading, to PSC/NPF to please consider us for this upcoming 2022 training," one of the cadets noted.
DOCUMENTS: Nigerian Police Abandon 500 ASP, Inspector Cadets Since 2016, Fail to Recruit Them Despite Docum... by Sahara Reporters on Scribd