FACT-CHECK: Asiedu Nketiah’s claim that 500,000 people applied to join the Police Service is False

Claim: 500,000 people applied to join the Ghana Police Service

Source: Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, NDC Chairman

Verdict: False

Researched by Nusrat Essah

Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, claimed that 500,000 people applied to join the Police Service.

In a video he shared on Facebook on March 13, 2026, he said:  “This year, when we opened the police service for people to apply, 500,000 people applied for only the Police Service. 500,000 individuals, all seeking to join the police.”

This report will verify whether 500,000 people applied exclusively to join the police service

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Fact-Check

GhanaFact reviewed information from the sector ministry.

According to the Minister for Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, over 500,000 people applied to join the various security services, not just the Police Service. Out of this, 130,000 people specifically applied for the Police Service.

At a press briefing in Parliament on March 11, 2026, he said: “The economy can only bring in 2,500 more police officers, 2,500, I mean other ranks and then 500 for cadets, so when you put them together, that’s just about 3,000. Meanwhile, we have 130,000 that are opting to join the Police.

“So the total space we have to be able to recruit in this first phase, and my emphasis, first phase of the recruitment process, is only 5,000. And yet you have over half a million Ghanaians who want to join.” 

The minister also gave a breakdown of the numbers seeking to joining the different agencies – Police, immigration, Fire Service and Prisons Service, as follows:

This indicates that the over 500,000 applicants represented applications across all the security services, while only 130,000 applicants selected the Police Service.

Verdict

Therefore, the claim by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah that 500,000 people applied to specifically join the Police Service is False.