1What a police character certificate is
A police character certificate, often called a police clearance certificate, is a document issued by the Nigeria Police Force stating whether the applicant has a criminal record known to them. People usually need one for a visa, a foreign job, professional registration, or an employer who asks for it.
It is issued to the person, not to an employer. If a job asks for one, the applicant applies for it themselves and hands it over.
2How people obtain one
Applications go through the Nigeria Police Force. What you are asked to provide, where you go and what it costs vary by command and change over time, so confirm the current requirements with the police directly or through the official channel rather than relying on a blog post.
Applicants are generally asked to expect:
- Proof of identity.
- Passport photographs.
- Fingerprint capture in person.
- A processing fee, paid through the official channel.
- A wait of some weeks rather than days.
Hirably does not issue these certificates and cannot obtain one on your behalf. Be careful with anyone who says they can fast-track it for a fee.
3Why it is not a complete hiring check
Employers who treat the certificate as the whole check are relying on more than it can carry:
- It reflects records known to the police. Most workplace theft and fraud in Nigeria is never reported to the police at all, so it leaves no trace to find.
- It says nothing about identity beyond the name applied under, nothing about where the person lives, and nothing about whether their last job was real.
- It is a snapshot of the day it was issued. A certificate from two years ago describes two years ago.
- It arrives as a piece of paper handed to you by the person it concerns, which is exactly the kind of document worth confirming rather than filing.
4What to use alongside it
If you asked for a certificate because you want to know whether someone is trustworthy, the checks that answer that question directly are:
- Identity against the government record, so the name is real.
- A physical visit to where they live, so they can be found.
- Guarantors who complete their own forms and can be reached again.
- The previous employer confirming the role and the dates.
Those four are what Hirably runs, in the order set out in the background check guide.
5If you are the employee being asked
You are entitled to know what is being checked about you and to see the outcome. When an employer runs a Hirably check, you agree first through your own private link, and you can see your own record - what was confirmed and when - in your own portal.
If a previous employer has filed a serious, police-reported incident against you, you are notified, given a window to respond, and your response travels with the record. You can open your records at my records.
Run these checks with Hirably
Identity, guarantors and previous employer settle within 36 hours of the employee agreeing. Every address is confirmed in person by a vetted agent, which takes 7 to 10 days. You see each check land as it settles.