Recruitment: Federal character commission drags Customs, CG to court

The Federal Character Commission filed criminal charges against the Nigeria Customs Service and its Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi, for alleged violations of federal character requirements in their 2025/2026 recruitment process. The charges were brought at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday. The commission accused the Customs Service and Adeniyi of failing to provide recruitment records, preventing monitoring, and disregarding directives to suspend recruitment activities.

They also alleged that Adeniyi knew of the breach and did not take action. The commission's four counts of charges pertain to the failure to submit nominal rolls, not inviting the commission for monitoring, continuing recruitment despite a suspension directive, and failing to provide clear eligibility criteria and guidelines. The charges stem from a dispute between the commission and the Customs Service over the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, where applicants complained of being excluded even after passing screening and medical processes.

The commission asked the Customs Service to suspend the ongoing recruitment and training, alleging monitoring issues and lack of a certificate of compliance.