However, following the ill-fated recruitment exercise on Saturday, March 15, which resulted in the death of at least 19 applicants, the FG after its weekly Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, announced the cancelation of the exercise and subsequent refund of the application fees.

But the Public Relations Officer of the NIS, Mr. Emeka Obua, on Saturday said that the top echelon of the service had not received any directive on the refund of the money.

He said such a directive would come from the Federal Government to Minister of the Interior, Mr. Abba Moro.

Also, the Ministry said no directive had been given to it from any quarters to refund the money to applicants.

The Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Mr. George Ubong, in a telephone interview said no such directive had been received in the ministry.

“We have not received any directive to refund any money”, he stated.

Ubong also denied the allegation that the contracting firm, Drexel Nigeria Ltd., which handled the exercise, was single-handedly picked by the minister, saying the firm had been registered with the Ministry of Interior as a contractor long before the appointment of Moro.

“The man has been a contractor with the ministry of interior before the advent of the minister. The minister doesn’t know him”, he said.