Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has disclosed that about 1,300 applicants who participated in the recent security services recruitment exercise tested positive for HIV during the mandatory medical screening.

He said the revelation informed the government's decision not to send medical results directly to unsuccessful applicants, citing the need for proper counselling and adherence to international health guidelines.

Speaking before Parliament's Public Assurance Committee, Mr Muntaka explained that applicants who fail the medical examination are instead provided with contact details to enable them to voluntarily seek further information about their results.

"I remember the recent recruitment we had. I think about 1,300 also were on HIV. Can you imagine sending somebody a result telling the person that you have HIV? That's not the procedure. The person has to go through some orientation," he said.

According to the Minister, applicants who contact the recruitment authorities are taken through counselling before being informed of the medical reasons for their disqualification.

He noted that several of the medical conditions identified during the screening are treatable, making it important for affected individuals to know their health status and seek appropriate care.

"Some of the things that we realised are treatable. People need to know and then also get treatment so that subsequent recruitment they could join," he stated.

Mr Muntaka said the medical screening also detected conditions such as hepatitis B, cardiac problems, mental health conditions, previous major surgeries and drug-related issues.

He encouraged unsuccessful applicants to request their medical results, stressing that some may have conditions they are unaware of but can be effectively managed.

"It may be something minor, it may be something major. Whichever it is, if you get to know, it will be of great interest to you," he said.

The Minister further disclosed that more than 100,000 applicants underwent medical examinations after successfully passing the aptitude test stage of the recruitment process.

Responding to concerns raised by members of the Committee about whether affected applicants had been informed of their HIV status, Mr Muntaka said government had not contacted individuals directly but had instead provided a channel for them to voluntarily request their results.

"We provided contact for people to call who were interested in knowing why they failed... We are obliged to give them the results, but we can't send them to you on the phone," he explained.

Some members of the Committee urged the Ministry to consider proactively counselling applicants diagnosed with HIV, arguing that early awareness and treatment could help prevent further transmission and improve long-term health outcomes.

Mr Muntaka maintained that the current approach is intended to protect applicants from the shock of receiving sensitive medical information without appropriate counselling, adding that it aligns with international health protocols for communicating diagnoses such as HIV and hepatitis B.