No fewer than 34,000 applicants are currently vying for 1,000 police recruitment positions in Benue State, authorities in the state have revealed.
Assistant Commissioner of Police overseeing the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Musa Abdulraham, made the disclosure yesterday during a lecture at the Police Officers’ Mess in Makurdi, organised as part of events marking the 2026 Police Week.
Delivering a paper titled: “Prevention of Electoral Violence and Ballot Box Snatching,” he associated the rising level of youth unemployment with their susceptibility to political influence and participation in election-related violence.
He explained that the huge number of applicants – exceeding 34,000 – reflects the limited availability of employment opportunities, leaving many idle youths exposed to politicians who recruit them to carry out violent acts during elections.
“For example, in the ongoing police recruitment, 34,000 applied in Benue State for only 1000 vacancies. If we give the 1000 jobs, what happens to the 33,000 left,” Abdulraham asked.
He cautioned that electoral violence continues to pose a serious danger to Nigeria’s democratic system, observing that the pattern dates back to the 1964 federal regional elections which intensified in 1965.
“Violence can only mar elections, not make them. Once it starts, it can become uncontrollable and devastating,” he said.
The ACP described ballot box snatching and other forms of electoral misconduct as grave offences, noting that elections, including the 2023 general polls, have recorded varying levels of violence.
Abdulraham urged governments at all levels to tackle unemployment through deliberate job creation, maintaining that keeping youths gainfully engaged would greatly curb their involvement in electoral violence and reinforce the nation’s electoral process.
