Over 1.9m applicants shortlisted as CDCFIB begins paramilitary recruitment exercise

By Myke Agunwa, Abuja

The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has announced the release of the shortlist for candidates who participated in its recent recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Fire Service (FFS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The 2025 recruitment exercise attracted an unprecedented 1.9 million applications nationwide, covering the four major paramilitary agencies under the CDCFIB’s supervision. The process, designed to strengthen national security and public safety, opened on Thursday, June 26, 2025, before being rescheduled to Monday, July 14, 2025, due to technical issues.

Following further system upgrades, the portal reopened on Monday, July 21, 2025, and remained active until Monday, August 11, 2025, after a one-week extension. The board received over 1,911,000 applications competing for about 30,000 available positions across the agencies.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the Secretary to the Board, Maj.-Gen. A.M. Jibril (Rtd.), said candidates can begin checking their application status on the official portal, https://recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng from Thursday, October 30, 2025.

He explained that the portal will also provide details of each shortlisted candidate’s Computer-Based Test (CBT), including the date, time, and venue of the examination.

Maj.-Gen. Jibril urged all applicants to adhere strictly to the information provided on the official website and to disregard messages from unofficial or third-party platforms claiming to represent the Board. He also cautioned applicants against dealing with fraudsters or paying for preferential treatment, stressing that the recruitment process remains transparent, free, and merit-based.

The last major recruitment exercise conducted by the CDCFIB was in January 2022, when about 5,000 successful candidates were approved for employment into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Maj.-Gen. Jibril noted that the current exercise reflects the Federal Government’s renewed efforts to strengthen manpower in the nation’s internal security architecture and ensure more efficient public service delivery.