FCC drags Customs CG to court over 2025/2026 recruitment

The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has filed criminal charges against the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, over alleged violations of federal character provisions in the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.

The Commission instituted the proceedings against Adeniyi and the Nigeria Customs Service before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

In the charge, the FCC alleged that the Service failed to submit relevant recruitment records, including nominal rolls, despite a formal request dated March 25, 2026.

It also accused the Customs Service of failing to submit the various stages of the recruitment exercise for the Commission’s monitoring.

The Commission further alleged that the Service disregarded its October 23, 2026 directive ordering the suspension of specified recruitment and training activities pending a review.

According to the charge, the Customs Service also failed to provide clear recruitment criteria and comprehensive eligibility guidelines, making it difficult for the Commission to determine the distribution of vacancies across states and geopolitical zones.

Customs generates N1.4trn in two months, records N8.1bn seizures

The FCC said the legal action followed its efforts to obtain recruitment records, monitor the exercise and ensure compliance with the federal character principle.

It maintained that access to recruitment records, monitoring of employment processes and equitable representation were statutory obligations that public institutions must fulfil.

The Commission stressed that compliance with the Federal Character principle was not optional for government agencies.