2000 Immigration recruits to protest in Abuja

Some 2,000 recruits of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) are planning a protest in Abuja for being recruited and inducted on arms handling, but have been put on hold since August 2015.
Some of them who paid a courtesy visit to the Media Trust headquarters yesterday, said they will hold a peaceful protest under the auspices of the 2000 ‘Dispersed Recruits’ at the Federal Ministry of Interior on April 4, 2016.
“We the affected officers and men numbering 2,000 have decided to stage a peaceful match to the Federal Ministry of Interior to press home our demands for an outright reversal of our suspension,” a letter from them read.
There are series of secret recruitment with sources confirming the induction courses holding secretly for that since January this year while the 2,000 openly recruited, waste away.
The recruits said after the failed recruitment of 2014, a Presidential Committee initiated a fresh process by February 9, 2015.  They said over one million Nigerians applied but 48,747 were shortlisted from which 2,000 including 1,457 males and 543 females were offered provisional appointments by May 22, 2015.
Our reporter sighted copies of some provisional offer of appointments signed by the Deputy Comptroller-General (Human Resources), H.Y. Malgwi.
The recruits under three categories, Superintendent Cadre, Inspectorate Cadre and Immigration Assistant Cadre said they were posted to Rivers, Kano, Nasarawa and other states for the intensive induction, and were issued staff Identity Cards with Service Numbers as at August, 2015.
They were surprised however to see a circular with Reference No. NIS/5/1828/1/193 dated August 28, 2015, ordering them to disperse after the completion of the recruitment process and certification.
“I am directed to refer to the above subject matter and to invite you to disperse forthwith, all the candidates who were issued appointment letters following the conclusion of the recent recruitment exercise conducted by the ‘Presidential Committee to Assist in Immigration Recruitment’.
“You are required to ensure that this interim arrangement pending further directives does not result in any breach of the public peace in your command,” a copy of the circular signed by the DCG, Malgwi read in part.