Two applicants seeking to join the Nigeria Police Force have been arrested during a recruitment screening in Bauchi after officials discovered forged examination results.
The suspects were among hundreds of candidates screened at the Police Training School Bauchi as part of the nationwide recruitment exercise for new police constables.
According to the Bauchi State Police Command, the screening team reviewed documents of 403 candidates, including 354 applicants for general duty roles and 49 specialist applicants.
Police spokesperson Nafiu Habib said the two suspects were caught after presenting falsified results from the National Examinations Council.
Investigators noticed that both candidates shared the same name, Yusuf Usman, and had been moving together throughout the screening process.
“Two candidates were arrested with forged NECO results, both named Yusuf Usman, and they were moving together throughout the process,” Habib said in a statement.
The screening exercise was supervised by a team led by A. Y. Dickson, who headed the recruitment process at the training school.
After the discovery, the team leader ordered that the suspects be handed over to the Divisional Police Officer at the ‘E’ Division for further investigation.
The arrests highlight growing concerns about document fraud during public sector recruitment exercises in Nigeria, where competition for limited positions remains intense.
Police authorities warned applicants against submitting fake documents during the recruitment process, stressing that all credentials would be thoroughly verified.
The ongoing exercise is part of the federal government’s plan to recruit 50,000 new police constables across the country to strengthen the nation’s security workforce.
