There was fear among successful candidates being recruited for the Constable cadre into the Nigeria Police Force following a recent crash witnessed by the recruitment portal of the Police Service Commission.

It was learnt that the portal, containing the list of successful candidates for the recently concluded recruitment, could not be accessed again by the anxious Nigerians who are waiting to join the force.

The development fuelled speculations in various quarters that the commission had succumbed to pressure by the police high command, who had earlier demanded immediate review of the list.

Daily Trust had reported how the simmering disagreement between the PSC and the police over the recruitment of constables is affecting service delivery and the timeline to increase the manpower of the security outfit.

However, some of the candidates, in separate interviews with our correspondent after their failure to access the PSC website, submitted that they were shocked that such development could happen.

“I was shocked that the recruitment portal being managed by the PSC crashed. Till now, I’m yet to recover from the shock because I spent my time, my money and other resources before I could get to this stage,” one of the successful candidates narrated.

Responding, the spokesman of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, explained that the portal only underwent routine maintenance, insisting that the list of successful candidates was not cancelled.

Ani, who maintained that the PSC would not succumb to any pressure demanding the cancellation of the entire process, argued that the recruitment exercise was conducted in clear adherence to relevant guidelines and provisions of the law.

“The Police Service Commission has just concluded a routine maintenance of its portal containing the list of successful candidates for the recently concluded recruitment into the Constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Commission has not, and will not cancel the final list of successful candidates from the recruitment exercise which was conducted in clear adherence to relevant guidelines and provisions of the law,” the senior civil servant said.

Ani, while expressing regrets about the glitches experienced by the portal, appealed to the candidates not to “fall for the antics” of those he described as hell-bent on tarnishing the image of the commission.

According to him, the commission is in control of the situation, and has since restored the portal with its original contents.

He added, “Successful candidates are advised to ignore these deliberate antics of desperate groups bent on destroying the good work of the commission in giving the nation a merit-based and inclusive recruitment exercise.

“The Commission calls on these disgruntled elements to desist further from undermining the recruitment exercise as any one caught will be dealt with.

“The Commission restates that the portal is now fully functional and accessible. Candidates can now log in and access all its features without any disruptions. The Commission regrets the hitches and assures that it has fully secured the platform.”

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