CDCFIB Portal Reopens 28 Oct 2026: Check Status, Drug Test

Quick answer: The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) will reopen its recruitment portal at recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng from Wednesday 28 October to Friday 13 November 2026. The window is only for candidates who have already reached the oral interview stage of the 2024/2025 exercise: they log in, check their status and collect a code for a free, mandatory NDLEA drug test. A drug-free certificate is now a condition for collecting an appointment letter in Abuja. This is not a new recruitment, and nobody should pay a kobo at any stage.

Key takeaways

• Portal window: 28 October – 13 November 2026 at recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng.

• Who it is for: candidates in the ongoing exercise who passed the medical examination and oral interview; the Board says it is "a continuation of the ongoing recruitment process and not a fresh recruitment exercise".

• What you do: check your status, obtain a drug-test code, then report to the NDLEA office in your state of residence for a free test with instant results.

• Why: a December 2025 Federal Government circular made pre-employment drug testing compulsory for all public-service applicants.

• Scale: this phase covers the first 30,000 of a planned 120,000 recruits into the NSCDC, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service and Federal Fire Service.

• Cost: zero. Report anyone who asks for money to the nearest security agency.

What the CDCFIB announced on 22 October 2026

The Board's Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Abdulmalik Jibril (rtd), briefed journalists in Abuja on Thursday 22 October after the Board's second meeting of the year. He said the recruitment portal would open on 28 October and stay open until 13 November so that candidates who got as far as the oral interview can confirm where they stand and pick up a code for drug screening. The screening is carried out by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Federal Government is paying for it. In his words, "Candidates are not to pay anything."

The announcement was reported by Vanguard, the Nigerian Tribune, Daily Nigerian (via NAN), Blueprint and The Whistler on the same day. As of 24 October the portal's front page still showed the Board's earlier holding notice, so do not panic if you log on before the 28th and see nothing new. Updates will appear on the portal itself once the window opens.

At the same meeting the Board also approved promotions for 27,624 serving officers across the four services and cleared 228 pending disciplinary cases, a sign that the paramilitary agencies are working through a large personnel backlog alongside the recruitment.

Who should log in, and who should not

The reopening is a late-stage step in an exercise that began in July 2025. Based on figures the Board has released at earlier stages, the funnel looked roughly like this:

• Over 1.8 million people applied when the portal first opened in July 2025.

• About 573,500 passed document screening.

• About 286,700 were shortlisted for the computer-based test (CBT) held late in 2025, and the Board later said around 222,000 of them fell below the benchmark.

• In June 2026 the CBT survivors checked their status again and chose dates and venues for physical screening and document verification, followed by medical examinations and oral interviews.

If you went through the oral interview, this window is for you. Candidates who dropped out at the CBT, screening or medical stage will not gain anything from logging in, and anyone who did not apply in 2025 cannot apply now. The Board has stressed that this is not an opening for new applications, and a fresh exercise would be announced separately on the official portal.

How to check your CDCFIB status and get your drug-test code

The Board has not yet published a step-by-step guide for the 28 October window, so the steps below combine what it has announced with the way the portal worked at the June 2026 status check. Follow whatever instructions appear on the portal if they differ.

1. Go to recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng on or after Wednesday 28 October 2026. Type the address yourself rather than clicking links sent to you on WhatsApp or Telegram.

2. Log in with the application number generated when you first registered in 2025. At the June status check the Board said this number was the key to the portal, so dig out your registration printout or confirmation email now.

3. Read your status message. If you are among the successful candidates, the portal should display or let you generate a drug-screening code.

4. Note the NDLEA office you are directed to. Reports of the briefing say candidates will be tested in their state or place of residence rather than having to travel to Abuja for the test.

5. Present your code at the NDLEA office, submit a sample and collect your result. The Board says results are given immediately.

6. Keep the certificate confirming that you are free from illegal drug use. You will need to present it before you can collect an appointment letter.

7. Do not miss the 13 November 2026 deadline. The Board has not said what happens to candidates who fail to complete the step in time, so treat the closing date as final.

What happens after the drug test

Candidates who pass the screening and satisfy the remaining requirements are expected to travel to Abuja to collect their appointment letters. The Board has been careful to say that passing the drug test on its own does not guarantee an appointment; it is one more condition, not the final decision. The reports did not say who bears the cost of the Abuja trip, so budget for it yourself and watch the portal for dates.

The drug-free requirement is not a CDCFIB invention. On 22 December 2025 the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation issued a service-wide circular directing ministries, departments and agencies to make drug testing a core requirement when recruiting new staff, working with the NDLEA. The paramilitary intake is one of the first large recruitments to apply it, which is why the Board is building the NDLEA step into the final stage rather than asking recruits to test after they report for training.

How to avoid CDCFIB recruitment scams

Every CDCFIB announcement is followed within hours by fake "portal" links, Telegram groups and agents promising to "upgrade" a status or secure an appointment letter. The Board's position is simple: nothing in this process costs money. Keep these rules in mind.

• The only portal is recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng. Any address that does not end in .gov.ng is not official.

• Nobody can sell you a drug-test code, a favourable result or a place in Abuja. The Board has asked candidates who are approached for money to report it to the nearest security agency.

• Do not share your application number, password or personal details with anyone claiming to work for the Board, the NDLEA or any of the four services.

• Ignore messages announcing a "new CDCFIB form" or "second batch application". The Board says no new application is open.

• Cross-check any claim against established news outlets or the portal before acting on it. Social-media screenshots are not announcements.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CDCFIB recruitment portal open for new applications in October 2026?

No. The 28 October to 13 November 2026 window is for candidates already in the 2024/2025 exercise who reached the oral interview stage. The Board has described it as a continuation of the existing process, not a fresh recruitment.

Do I have to pay for the NDLEA drug test?

No. The Board Secretary said the Federal Government is bearing the cost and that "candidates are not to pay anything". Anyone demanding payment should be reported to the nearest security agency.

Where will the drug test take place?

At designated NDLEA offices in your state or place of residence. You collect a code from the portal first and present it at the office. Results are issued on the spot.

What do I need to collect my appointment letter?

A certificate confirming you are free from illegal drug use, plus whatever other requirements the Board specifies. Appointment letters are to be collected in Abuja. Passing the drug test does not by itself guarantee an appointment.

Which services are covered by this recruitment?

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS). This phase covers the first 30,000 of a planned 120,000 recruits.

Looking for other opportunities?

If you were not successful this time, other federal exercises are running or about to run. Our guides to the Nigerian Navy Batch 39 recruitment and the Nigerian Air Force BMTC 47 aptitude test explain what those portals require, and our CV format guide will help you tidy up your documents before the next application. You can also browse the latest jobs in Nigeria and entry-level roles on Jobsiz.

Sources

• Vanguard, "Paramilitary recruitment portal opens October 28", 22 October 2026: vanguardngr.com

• Nigerian Tribune, "Recruitment: CDCFIB fixes date to reopen portal for successful candidates", 22 October 2026: tribuneonlineng.com

• Daily Nigerian (NAN), "Paramilitary recruitment: CDCFIB opens portal for candidates to undergo drug test", 22 October 2026: dailynigerian.com

• The Whistler, "FG makes drug tests mandatory for 30,000 paramilitary recruits", 22 October 2026: thewhistler.ng

• Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, "FG introduces mandatory pre-employment drug testing for public service applicants", 23 December 2025: osgf.gov.ng

• Nairametrics, "FG opens CDCFIB recruitment portal for shortlisted applicants from Monday", 14 June 2026: nairametrics.com

• Official portal: recruitment.cdcfib.gov.ng

Written by the Jobsiz Editorial Team. Last updated 24 October 2026. Dates and procedures are as announced by the CDCFIB on 22 October 2026; always confirm on the official portal before travelling.