The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has disclosed that 221,996 applicants failed the final phase of its 2025 recruitment exercise—an online computer-based test (CBT)—despite completing earlier screening stages.
The recruitment drive covers four federal paramilitary agencies: the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the Federal Fire Service (FFS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
According to figures released by the Board, more than 1.8 million applicants submitted entries between 14 July and 11 August 2025. Of these, 1,120,491 applications were deemed complete and progressed through the recruitment stages. The Board also recorded 432,935 incomplete submissions and disqualified 360,923 applications for various infractions.
The NIS accounted for the highest volume of submissions with 703,499 applications, followed by the NSCDC with 482,198. Other agencies recorded the following figures:
Nigerian Correctional Service: 406,491
Federal Fire Service: 165,212
CDCFIB Secretariat: 116,122
CBT Results and Candidate Performance
The nationwide online CBT, held between 12 and 19 November 2025, marked the third stage of the recruitment process. CDCFIB reported that 71.8% of shortlisted candidates sat for the examination, while 18.5% failed to appear. An additional 5.4% were flagged for violations during the test.
Performance data shows that most candidates scored between 61 and 80 points. The full breakdown is as follows:
0–40: 221,996 candidates
41–60: 229,155 candidates
61–80: 278,543 candidates
81–100: 142,697 candidates
State-by-State Participation
The Board noted strong national participation, with applications received from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Kogi, Kaduna, and Benue topped the list with the highest number of applicants, while Bayelsa, Rivers, and Lagos recorded the lowest.
Top 10 states with the highest applications:
Kogi – 116,378
Kaduna – 114,797
Benue – 110,776
Kano – 89,501
Niger – 78,916
Katsina – 77,598
Nasarawa – 75,995
Adamawa – 75,753
Oyo – 68,489
Plateau – 67,365
States with the lowest applications:
Bayelsa – 11,683
Rivers – 14,337
Lagos – 22,244
Ebonyi – 28,616
Delta – 29,316
FCT – 30,347
Ekiti – 31,154
Cross River – 31,742
Sokoto – 32,254
Edo – 32,363
Eligibility Standards
The 2025 recruitment exercise targeted Nigerian citizens aged 18 to 35 who meet specific physical, educational, and character requirements. Applicants were expected to possess at least five SSCE credits, maintain clean criminal records, and demonstrate sound physical and mental fitness. Higher qualifications in fields such as law, engineering, medicine, and technical disciplines were considered an added advantage.
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