The development is contained in two internal circulars issued by the Service’s Human Resource and Development Department and signed by the Comptroller of Establishment, A.A. Bazuaye, on behalf of the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Human Resources and Development.
According to the documents, 825 officers are scheduled to retire in 2026, while another 691 officers will exit the Service in 2027 in line with existing public service regulations governing retirement.
The retirement exercise will affect personnel across various cadres, from senior management ranks, including Deputy Comptrollers-General and Assistant Comptrollers-General, down to Customs Assistant II officers.
Details contained in the 2026 retirement list show that the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre accounts for the highest number of exits with 285 officers, followed by the Superintendent of Customs cadre with 226 officers. Other categories include Assistant Superintendent of Customs I (64), Chief Superintendent of Customs (61), Chief Customs Officer (53), Deputy Customs Officer (51), Assistant Customs Officer (46), Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (10), Inspector of Customs (8), Customs Assistant II (2), Customs Assistant I (1), Assistant Comptroller-General (13) and Deputy Comptroller-General (5).
For the 2027 exercise, the Superintendent of Customs cadre tops the list with 200 officers due for retirement, while 193 Deputy Superintendents of Customs are also expected to leave. Other affected categories include Deputy Customs Officer (81), Chief Superintendent of Customs (68), Assistant Customs Officer (57), Assistant Superintendent of Customs I (39), Chief Customs Officer (38), Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (4), Customs Assistant I (4), Customs Assistant II (4), Inspector of Customs (2) and Assistant Comptroller-General (4).
The circulars directed all affected officers to proceed on mandatory pre-retirement leave in accordance with Public Service Rule 100238 and Federal Government Circular No. 63216/S.I/X/T; CR 1/2001/5 of March 20, 2001. Officers were also instructed to submit their three-month pre-retirement notices to the Comptroller-General of Customs.
Part of the circular stated: “I am directed to forward the attached list on the above subject matter as retirement notice to all affected personnel. In accordance with the Public Service Rule (PSR) No. 100238 and Federal Government circular No.63216/S.I/X/T; CR 1,/2001/5 of 20/03/2001, all affected officers due for retirement are to disengage from the active service and proceed on pre-retirement leave, three months prior to their effective date of retirement.”
The 2027 retirement notice also gave room for officers to challenge any discrepancies in the list. It stated that “any observed error, omission or legitimate complaints arising from the attached list should be forwarded to the office of the Deputy Comptroller-General (HRD) on or before 31 July 2026.”
Among senior officers affected by the 2026 retirement exercise are Deputy Comptrollers-General Omale, Nnadi, Chiroma, Adeola MRS and Niagwan, as well as several Assistant Comptrollers-General, including Egwuh, Umoh, Mohammed and Abe.
Reacting to concerns that the retirements may be linked to succession plans within the Service, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Abejide Leke Joseph, dismissed such claims, insisting that the exercise is purely statutory.
“The Civil Service Rules are very clear. Retirement after 35 years in service or at the age of 60 is not by compulsion; it is by law. Therefore, suggestions that any officer would be retired to create room for another appointment are false and misleading,” he said.
Abejide attributed the unusually high number of retirements to a prolonged recruitment gap that created a concentration of officers within similar service number categories.
“There is a 16-year gap of non-recruitment and stagnant promotion. As a result, officers of 41000, 42000, and 43000 service numbers categories have risen through the ranks almost simultaneously and now occupy similar levels of seniority,” Abejide said.
He noted that the situation resulted in a top-heavy personnel structure, with many officers reaching retirement age or service limits around the same period.
The lawmaker further stressed that the retirement of more than 1,500 officers is a routine and legally mandated process rather than a consequence of any leadership transition arrangement within the Customs Service.
The development comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu approved a final six-month extension of tenure for the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, allowing him to remain in office until February 2027.
The extension was announced in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the additional tenure would enable Adeniyi to complete key reforms, including the implementation of the National Single Window project and facilitate an orderly succession process within the Service.
“During the transition period, Adeniyi, working with the Nigeria Customs Service Board, will ensure the promotion of eligible officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and the compulsory retirement of officers who have attained 60 years of age or have served 35 years,” the statement said.
The latest retirement exercise is expected to significantly reshape the personnel structure of the Customs Service as the agency prepares for a new phase of leadership transition and institutional reforms.