The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board has announced that its recruitment portal will reopen from October 28 to November 13, 2026, and has approved the promotion of 27,624 personnel across four paramilitary agencies.
The Secretary to the Board, Major General Abdulmalik Jibril (retd.), made this known while briefing journalists after the board’s 01-26 meeting at its secretariat in Abuja, on behalf of the Chairman and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The board also took decisions on 228 disciplinary cases to strengthen accountability and professionalism across the services, and approved a healthcare policy framework aimed at improving the welfare of personnel.
Jibril explained that the promotions were meant to tackle career stagnation, lift personnel morale and improve service delivery across the four agencies under the board’s supervision.
He said the board approved the promotions as part of efforts to resolve career progression challenges affecting personnel across the services.
“The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has approved the promotion of 27,624 officers across the four Paramilitary Agencies under its purview,” the statement reads.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) got the largest share with 17,343 promotions, followed by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) with 4,601, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) with 4,097 and the Federal Fire Service (FFS) with 1,583.
On recruitment, Jibril announced that the portal for the Federal Government’s ongoing recruitment of 30,150 personnel across the four agencies would reopen between October 28 and November 13, 2026.
He also cautioned applicants against making any payment for the recruitment exercise and urged them to report financial demands to security authorities.
The announcement follows a similar exercise in June 2026, when the CDCFIB opened its recruitment portal from June 15 to 20 for shortlisted candidates to confirm their status and proceed to physical screening and document verification.
That exercise was part of the recruitment process launched in July 2025, which drew more than 1.8 million applications before candidates were progressively shortlisted for screening and computer-based testing.
Out of the applicants, 573,523 advanced to document screening, while 286,697 were shortlisted for the computer-based test (CBT). Of these, 221,996 later failed to meet the required benchmark.
Candidates who have reached the oral interview stage will be able to check their recruitment status and proceed to the mandatory drug test, which is conducted in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The tests will be free because the Federal Government is covering the cost, and appointment letters will be issued only to candidates certified free from illegal substance abuse.
The recruitment and promotion announcements come after President Bola Tinubu approved an 18-month extension of the tenures of the heads of the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The extension, announced on October 19, 2026, will keep Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, Controller-General of the NCoS, in office until May 26, 2028, while Kemi Nanna Nandap, Comptroller-General of the NIS, will stay until June 30, 2028.
According to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the decision followed a recommendation by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to close succession gaps and allow enough time for the appointment of successors.
Tinubu had earlier extended Nandap’s tenure in March 2025, moving its expiry from August 31, 2025, to December 31, 2026.
