The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi Command, said that no fewer than 1,679 applicants were shortlisted to take part in the ongoing screening/recruitment exercise into the Constable cadre of the Force.
Mrs Loveth Odah, Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi Command, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Wednesday.
Odah said that the exercise slated to hold in the state at the Police Officers’ Mess close to the Command’s Headquarters between July 1 and July 20 started as scheduled.
She, however, decried the poor turnout of the shortlisted candidates for the recruitment, saying that the number of applicants who had so far reported for the exercise was abysmally low.
Odah regretted that the poor turnout of candidates for the screening exercise was affecting the number expected to be screened daily.
She advised candidates shortlisted for the screening /recruitment exercise to show up for the exercise to forestall the state losing its quota allocated to it.
“We shortlisted 1,679 applicants from the 13 local government areas who applied for the 2018/2019 Police Recruitment exercise.
“The exercise which is mainly for the lower cadre is for the recruitment of constables into the force but the challenges we are having in the screening is that those shortlisted are not coming forth for the screening.
“It is actually affecting the number of candidates we are expected to screen per day and this development is not good for the state because it may affect Ebonyi quota for the final intakes.
“The command has intensified announcements using radio and television stations in the state to urge the shortlisted applicants to come forward for the recruitment exercise,’’ Odah said.
She said that candidates who were successful in the ongoing certificates and physical fitness screening would move over to the next stage of writing final examination.
Odah said that the command recorded hitch-free screening /recruitment exercise since the exercise began on July 1.