The Nigerian Police Force is to screen out applicants with tattoo marks and those linked with cultism in the ongoing police recruitment exercise, an official has said.
Mr Emmanuel Inyang, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of training, said this during an inspection of the ongoing exercise at the Akwa Ibom Command in Uyo on Friday.
Inyang said the decision was taken to prevent the recruitment of persons with questionable character, especially those involved in cultism, into the police force.
He explained that the police are conducting background, medical, and psychiatric checks, to ensure that only the right candidates were recruited into the force.
He said after the screening, successful candidates would undergo aptitude test to be conducted by Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
“The police will ensure that candidates do not have any tattoo marks because we do not want to take in cult members into the police force.
“The total number of those that have applied for the police job is about 133,000. They are going through screening all over the country. Out of this figure, we are only going to take the best 6,000 candidates.
“The screening teams will check your legs to make sure you do not have any deformity in your legs, to make sure you do not have bow legs, flat feet. If you have a flat feet, you cannot run and you might fall easily.
“After JAMB, the candidates will be subjected to medical screening with three consultants. One will be a general medical practitioner who is going to examine the candidates to ensure that they are very fit.
“They will carry out certain tests — maybe X-ray and other tests. The screening teams will check their heart and every other thing, to make sure that they are physically fit.”
The DI-G gave an assurance that the recruitment would done evenly across the 774 local government areas devoid of any political interference.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, has assured Akwa Ibom people that the command had beefed up security for the All Progressives Congress congress on Saturday.
He said that the command had deployed its officers and operatives to all local government headquarters, to ensure a peaceful congress.
“We are fully prepared to ensure that the coming APC Congress is peaceful. We have our men deployed to all parts of the local government headquarters, where the congress is to take place.
“I can assure you that with the level of maturity deployed by the leadership of the APC at the last congress in the state, I believe that the next one would be peaceful,” he said. (NAN)