At least 34,000 applicants are currently competing for 1,000 police recruitment slots in Benue State, the police in the state have said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Musa Abdulraham, disclosed this yesterday during a lecture at the Police Officers’ Mess in Makurdi, held as part of activities to mark the 2026 Police Week.

Presenting a paper titled “Prevention of Electoral Violence and Ballot Box Snatching,” he linked the high rate of unemployment among youths to their vulnerability to political manipulation and involvement in election-related violence.

He said that the large number of applicants – over 34,000 – shows the scarcity of job opportunities, pushing many idle youths into the hands of politicians who use them to perpetrate violence during elections.

“For example, in the ongoing police recruitment, 34,000 applied in Benue State for only 1,000 vacancies. If we give the 1000 jobs, what happens to the 33,000 left,” Abdulraham asked.

He warned that electoral violence remains a major threat to Nigeria’s democratic process, noting that the trend dates back to the 1964 federal regional elections which escalated in 1965.

“Violence can only mar elections, not make them. Once it starts, it can become uncontrollable and devastating,” he said.

The ACP described ballot box snatching and other forms of electoral malpractice as heinous crimes, stressing that elections, including the 2023 general polls, have witnessed various degrees of violence.

Abdulraham called on the government at all levels to address unemployment through job creation, insisting that engaging youths productively would significantly reduce their involvement in electoral violence and strengthen the country’s electoral system. (Daily Trust)