More than 360,000 applicants have been disqualified from the ongoing recruitment into Nigeria’s paramilitary services as the Federal Government, through the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), released the long-awaited examination results and reopened its portal for candidates.

The development follows weeks of uncertainty after the conclusion of the online examination, during which many candidates complained about poor communication and intermittent access to the recruitment portal.

The situation had fueled the spread of unverified information, leaving thousands of applicants unsure about the status of the exercise.

However, the board’s latest action appears to have addressed those concerns, with verified data now made available to the public.

According to statistics released on the portal, a total of 1,120,491 applications were successfully completed, while 432,935 were left incomplete.

In addition, 360,923 applications were disqualified due to various issues identified during the screening process.

The CDCFIB also provided a detailed breakdown of candidates’ performance in the examination.

The figures show that 221,996 candidates scored between 0 and 40, while 229,155 candidates recorded scores within the 41 to 60 range. A larger segment, 278,543 candidates, scored between 61 and 80.

Meanwhile, 108,142 candidates achieved scores between 81 and 90, and only 34,555 candidates fell within the highest bracket of 91 to 100.

The board emphasised that advancement to the next stage of the recruitment process will be strictly merit-based.

It noted that only top-performing candidates from each state will be shortlisted for further screening, underscoring its commitment to fairness and transparency in the exercise. (BusinessDay, but headline rejigged)