Recruits at the Nigeria Police Force Training School, Yelwa, Bauchi State, have alleged that they are being compelled to pay as much as N250,000 for uniforms, boots, and other kits that should ordinarily be issued free of charge.

Some of the recruits who spoke with Daily Trust said the financial burden was unbearable for them and their parents. However, the school authority has denied the claims.

A legal practitioner, Barrister Lawal Ishaq, raised the alarm after a woman approached him for financial assistance for her son, who is currently undergoing police training at the school.

Narrating the encounter, Ishaq said, “I was in my office when a woman I had previously assisted came to me. She said her son, who is in the police training school in Bauchi, had called to request N250,000 for uniforms, boots, and jackets.

“She begged me to help him. I called the boy myself, and he confirmed that the money was for those items. I was shocked because this is a newly recruited constable we are talking about.”

The lawyer expressed concern that if recruits were subjected to such huge financial demands during training, they might be pushed into corrupt practices once they graduated and assumed official duties.

Some of the prospective constables, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that they were required to provide sets of uniforms to cope with the demands of training and duty.

They admitted that although uniform materials were usually supplied, the quality was poor, and they often had to pay tailoring costs.

“What they give us only lasts a few months, so you have to buy new sets with your own money. Failure to do so could jeopardise your training,” one of them said, adding that they often sought financial support from parents or well-wishers.

Another recruit explained that wearing the designated uniform was compulsory.

“It is a difficult situation because, while you are happy to have been enlisted, you must find money to buy the required uniforms since the ones issued on arrival are of poor quality. If you fail to do so, you risk being excluded from training,” he said.

He added that recruits were not allowed to buy uniforms outside the school, leaving them with no option but to comply.

According to the recruits, boots are officially issued only after graduation, which forces many to purchase theirs while still in training. However, they described the N250,000 fee as “too exorbitant.”

Meanwhile, the Commandant of the Bauchi Police Training School, Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdullahi Umar Tambuwal, dismissed the allegations as false.

“If such things happen, I don’t know. But it is not true. All students receive their uniforms and kits free of charge. We even provide them with three square meals daily. The uniforms are transported from Abuja to Bauchi, and everything is issued without payment,” he said.

Tambuwal added that with more than 700 recruits currently in training, it would be impossible for him or his officers to extort such huge sums.

He, however, promised to investigate the matter and warned that any officer found guilty of extortion would face sanctions.

The commandant also urged parents to disregard such “false claims” and cautioned recruits against making spurious financial demands from their families. (Daily Trust)