Recruitment Irregularities: Federal Govt Drags Customs, CG To Court

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 violations of federal character requirements in the Service’s recruitment exercise.

The charges, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, accuse the Customs Service of withholding recruitment records, obstructing the commission’s monitoring activities and disregarding a directive to suspend recruitment and training activities.

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According to the charge sheet obtained by The PUNCH on Friday, the commission alleged that the defendants repeatedly failed to provide information and documents requested in connection with the recruitment exercise.

The prosecution is relying on provisions of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

FCC Accuses Customs of Withholding Recruitment Records

In the first count, the commission alleged that the Nigeria Customs Service failed to submit the nominal rolls for its 2025 recruitment exercise despite receiving a formal request for the records in a letter dated March 25, 2026.

The FCC also accused Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi of allegedly recklessly, negligently or wilfully allowing the Service to disregard the commission’s directives.

The charge stated:

“That you Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, being an officer of the 1st Defendant, recklessly, negligently or willfully acquiesced in the 1st Defendant’s failure to comply with the directives of the Commission, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(3)(b) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 15 of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, LFN 2004.”

Commission Alleges Obstruction of Recruitment Monitoring

In the second count, the FCC alleged that the Customs Service and its Comptroller-General failed to invite or submit themselves to the commission for monitoring relevant stages of the 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.

The alleged failure occurred between September 14 and October 7, 2026, according to the charge.

The commission argued that the defendants’ actions prevented it from effectively carrying out its statutory responsibility of monitoring recruitment processes to ensure compliance with federal character principles.

Customs Accused of Ignoring Suspension Directive

The third count centres on the alleged continuation of recruitment and training activities despite a directive from the commission ordering the suspension of the exercise.

The FCC alleged that the Customs Service received a letter dated October 23, 2026, directing it to suspend the recruitment process pending a review.

However, the commission accused the Service of disregarding the directive, continuing with the exercise and failing to preserve relevant records or facilitate its monitoring activities.

FCC Questions Recruitment Guidelines and Eligibility Criteria

In the fourth count, the commission accused the defendants of failing to provide clear eligibility criteria and comprehensive recruitment guidelines despite repeated requests made between January 30 and October 20, 2026.

According to the FCC, the failure prevented it from determining the state and zonal distribution of vacancies in the recruitment exercise.

The commission maintained that access to such information was necessary to establish whether the recruitment process complied with the federal character provisions governing appointments into public institutions.

The alleged offences are punishable under Section 15 of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act.

FCC Lists Three Witnesses, 14 Documents for Trial

The commission has listed three witnesses it intends to present during the trial.

They include the Chairman of its Committee on Financial Services, Abdulwasiu K. Bawa-Allah; a committee member, Isa Jibrin Bida; and the committee’s clerk, Usman Yaruwa.

The prosecution has also identified 14 documents it intends to tender as evidence.

The documents reportedly include correspondence between the commission and the Customs Service, a report on the Service and records of the commission’s October 22 press conference.

The prosecution further indicated that it could call additional witnesses if considered necessary during the proceedings.

Dispute Linked to Previous Customs Recruitment Exercise

The criminal charge follows a prolonged disagreement between the Federal Character Commission and the Nigeria Customs Service over the conduct of the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.

The controversy reportedly involved complaints from applicants who claimed they had been shortlisted but were subsequently excluded from the training programme.

The latest legal action is expected to bring further scrutiny to the recruitment procedures of the Customs Service and its compliance with federal character requirements.

The allegations against the Customs Service and its Comptroller-General are yet to be established before the court.