Over 6,000 fail Security Service medicals over drugs, mental health issues

The Ministry of the Interior has revealed that more than 6,000 applicants were disqualified during the medical screening stage of the ongoing security services recruitment exercise, following tests that detected drug use and mental health conditions.

Speaking in an interview on Pan African TV on Saturday, May 23, the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak disclosed that over 100,000 applicants underwent medical examinations as part of the recruitment process.

According to him, the medical screening process was expanded beyond the usual physical and laboratory checks to include drug testing and mental health assessments, given increasing concerns about personnel wellbeing within the security services.

He explained that more than 4,000 applicants failed the drug tests, while about 2,000 others were disqualified on mental health grounds.

“We have over 100,000 people who went through the medicals. Because of the large numbers, and because of what we have observed within the services, we introduced additional checks including mental health assessments and drug tests. Interestingly, over 4,000 people failed the drug test, and we have over 2,000 who also failed due to mental health conditions,” he said.

The Minister noted that the findings highlight the importance of strengthening screening processes to ensure that only fit and suitable candidates are enlisted into the security services.