Paramilitary job candidates must pass NDLEA drug test as portal reopens 28 October

Candidates in the recruitment into Nigeria’s four paramilitary services who reached the oral interview stage must log in to the recruitment portal between Wednesday, 28 October and Friday, 13 November 2026, then take a mandatory drug test with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) before they can collect their appointment letters.

The Secretary to the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), retired Major General Abdulmalik Jibrin, announced the dates after the board’s meeting on Thursday, 22 October 2026.

Why it matters

The board recruits for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS). The current exercise has been running since mid-2025, and candidates who have been through the computer-based test, screening and oral interviews have waited months for the next step.

Jibrin said this stage covers the first batch of 30,000 recruits. It is part of the federal government’s plan to recruit 120,000 people into the four services over four years, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

What do candidates need to do?

• Log in to the board’s recruitment portal, recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng, between 28 October and 13 November 2026 and check your status.
• Get your code from the portal.
• Go to the NDLEA office in your state with the code, give your sample and collect your result.
• Keep the certificate. Successful candidates will then travel to Abuja to collect their letters of appointment, and must bring it with them.

“So, you must come along with your certificate of freedom from drug abuse before you collect your letter,” Jibrin said.

Does the drug test cost anything?

No. “Candidates are not to pay anything,” Jibrin said. He told any candidate who is asked for money to report it to the office of the nearest security agency.

Be wary of anyone who claims they can speed up the process for a fee. When it released the shortlist in October 2025, the board told applicants to disregard unofficial messages and third-party platforms.

Why a drug test?

The test follows a federal government directive. In a circular dated 22 December 2025, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation made pre-employment drug testing a requirement for people applying to join the public service.

The circular told permanent secretaries and heads of agencies to include mandatory drug testing as a core requirement when recruiting, and to work with the NDLEA in conducting the tests. It cited the rate of drug and substance abuse among young people.

Jibrin said the paramilitary candidates were being tested in line with that directive.

How did the recruitment get here?

• July 2025: the board paused applications after its portal suffered glitches, then reopened it on Monday, 21 July 2025, citing the high volume of applications.
• October 2025: the board released the shortlist and told candidates to check the portal for the date, time and venue of their computer-based test.
• Since then: shortlisted candidates have gone through screening and oral interviews.
• 22 October 2026: the board fixed the dates for the drug test stage.

What happens next

• Wednesday, 28 October: the portal opens for candidates who reached the oral interview stage.
• Friday, 13 November: the portal closes.
• After the tests: candidates who pass collect their appointment letters in Abuja. The board has not yet announced the dates.

Are you a candidate? Tell GistMatrix how the process goes at your NDLEA office, and send us any request for money you receive.