The Niger State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Marafa, has said that applicants for the ongoing police recruitment who have tattoos were rejected to avoid hiring cultists into the Force. At an inspection of the recruitment process in Minna by the Federal Character Commission, (FCC), Marafa said people know that tattoos are associated with cult membership and the Police Force will not recruit people with them.

He disclosed that the recruitment exercise has been successful in the state as measures had been put in place to ensure that the applicants hired had even spread across the state.

The coordinator of the military recruitment for the sub-zone of Kogi, Kwara and Niger holding in Minna, Brigadier General Gabriel Ochigbano, told the visiting officials that the applicants had been screened down to 150 per state from the 350 per state on the average that showed up for the recruitment.

"We are expected to take about 105 from Kogi, Kwara and Niger states," he said.

The Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Shettima Bukar Abba, tasked police and the military to ensure that in addition to federal character, applicants are recruited from all the local government areas in the states because the list of the successful candidates would be sent to his commission to ensure that federal character had been adhered to.

"They will not release the results until we give them the certificate of compliance," he said.