A heated standoff has erupted between the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over the legitimacy of the ongoing admission process into the 12th Regular Course Degree Programmes at the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State. The Ministry and the Academy have jointly denounced a PSC disclaimer issued on July 31, 2025, calling it “misleading and legally baseless.”
The PSC, through its spokesman Ikechukwu Ani, had issued a public notice distancing itself from the Academy’s admission advert published on July 28, which invites applications through September 8, 2025. The Commission claimed the advert undermines its constitutional mandate and alleged that it violates the established procedure for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force.
But in a strongly worded rebuttal issued on Friday, August 1, 2025, the Ministry of Police Affairs, via its Director of Public Relations, Bolaji Kazeem, insisted that the Academy’s call for applications remains valid and is being conducted in strict adherence to the standards of the National Universities Commission (NUC). The ministry emphasized that the PSC plays no role in the admissions of degree-granting institutions.
According to the ministry, the Nigeria Police Academy is a tertiary institution under the regulatory purview of the NUC, and its admission process is handled like any other federal university in Nigeria. The statement added that the PSC’s interpretation of its authority does not extend to academic admissions and urged prospective applicants to disregard the Commission’s disclaimer.
“This disclaimer issued by the Police Service Commission is not only inaccurate but also legally unfounded. The Nigeria Police Academy is not recruiting into the Police Force but admitting students for academic degrees,” the statement read.
The PSC has long asserted its constitutional authority to oversee recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force, a position backed by rulings from the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. However, legal experts have clarified that university admissions and police recruitment are distinct processes governed by different frameworks.
The online portal for the Academy’s admission remains active, and the Ministry of Police Affairs has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, merit, and adherence to due process in the academic enrollment exercise. The controversy has sparked renewed debate over overlapping mandates and inter-agency rivalry within Nigeria’s security institutions.
