The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has filed a four-count criminal charge against the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and its Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, over alleged breaches in the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
The charge, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, accuses the defendants of failing to provide recruitment records, frustrating the Commission’s monitoring efforts and disregarding a directive to suspend the exercise pending a review.
The charge sheet, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/772/2026 and dated November 12, 2026, names the Nigeria Customs Service as the first defendant and Adeniyi as the second.
The FCC alleged that the Customs Service failed to provide information and documents relating to the recruitment despite repeated requests. It also accused Adeniyi of failing to invite the Commission or submit the recruitment process to its monitoring.
Another count centres on an alleged failure to obey a suspension directive issued by the Commission on October 23, 2026. The directive reportedly instructed the Service to halt specified recruitment and training activities, preserve relevant records and allow the FCC to monitor the process.
The prosecution alleged that the Customs Service continued with the exercise after the directive had been served on Adeniyi.
The Commission further accused the defendants of failing to provide clear eligibility criteria and comprehensive guidelines for selecting applicants between January 30 and October 20, 2026.
According to the FCC, the failure to disclose the documents prevented it from determining how vacancies were distributed among states and geopolitical zones, as required under federal character principles.
The alleged offences are said to contravene Sections 14(3)(b) and 14(3)(f) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, 2004, and are punishable under Section 15 of the same law.
The charges follow months of controversy over the Customs recruitment exercise, which attracted 573,680 applications. In July 2026, the Service announced 3,852 successful candidates across the superintendent, inspectorate and customs assistant cadres.
Adeniyi had defended the process in August, maintaining that successful candidates were allocated equally across the 36 states of the federation.
However, complaints later emerged from applicants who alleged that some candidates initially listed as successful were excluded during screening and replaced by people who had not participated in the recruitment process.
In a statement issued on October 19, the Customs Service said 397 applicants were disqualified during physical screening over issues involving substance abuse, age requirements, physical fitness and documentation. It also cited irregularities identified in some candidates’ selection processes.
The FCC subsequently called for the suspension of the recruitment exercise, citing alleged violations of federal character requirements and concerns over the transparency of the selection process.
The latest criminal charges now place the Commission’s oversight role and the Customs Service’s handling of the recruitment exercise before the Federal High Court.
The allegations are yet to be established in court. Adeniyi and the Nigeria Customs Service are entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
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