Applicants seeking employment in four paramilitary agencies have been warned against spending money on mandatory drug screening after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency disclosed that the Federal Government had already settled the cost of the exercise.
The warning followed reports that some shortlisted candidates had paid N7,500 through the NDLEA drug testing portal, despite the earlier assurance that the screening would not attract any charges.
The affected applicants are those undergoing recruitment into the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the Ministry of Interior had made a bulk payment to cover the screening of the new recruits.
“The agency wishes to emphasise that no payment is required from any candidate or personnel presenting for the Drug Integrity Test, as the Ministry of Interior has already made bulk payment to cover the testing of its new intakes,” the statement read.
The agency cautioned candidates against transferring money to its personnel, designated testing centres or any other channel in connection with the exercise.
It explained that applicants would be able to register and complete the required documentation through the NDLEA Drug Integrity Test platform using designated links to be provided on their respective recruitment portals.
“This arrangement will enable candidates to access the NDLEA DIT platform, complete the necessary registration and documentation and proceed with the testing process without making additional payments,” it added.
The development comes days after the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board announced the opening of its recruitment portal on October 28 for shortlisted candidates in the first batch of 30,000 paramilitary recruits.
The Board’s Secretary, Maj. Gen. Abdulmalik Jibrin (retd.), said the portal would remain open until November 13, asking candidates who passed the oral interview to confirm their status and obtain the code needed for the drug test.
He added that the screening would take place at designated NDLEA offices across the states, after which successful candidates would proceed to Abuja to collect their appointment letters.
