The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deleted from its official Facebook page a video in which the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, congratulated candidates whose names appeared on the final list of the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise and described the process as one of the most competitive recruitment exercises in the history of the service.
The development comes amid growing complaints from candidates who said they were among the 3,852 Nigerians officially announced as successful candidates on July 27, 2026, but have yet to receive invitations to attend the training scheduled to commence on Friday, October 9.
Several affected candidates who spoke with SaharaReporters said they were particularly disturbed by the removal of the video because they had relied on the statements made by the CGC and the subsequent recruitment procedures before travelling to Abuja, spending money on documentation and medical screening, and, in some cases, resigning from their previous employment.
According to the candidates, the video was published alongside the announcement of the final list on July 27, 2026, and contained remarks by the CGC congratulating the successful applicants.
The candidates said they recently returned to the Customs Service’s official page to access the video, only to discover that it was no longer available.
“They’ve even deleted the video. Many of us have gone to check it on their page; it says ‘not available,’” one of the affected candidates told SaharaReporters.
Another candidate said, “You can’t believe the video they released to the press announcing us as the final list has been deleted. In the video, the Comptroller-General said he could defend the list anywhere. Customs deleted the video on Thursday morning.”
The candidates said the deletion has heightened their concerns because they believe the video provided clear evidence that the names published on July 27 represented the final successful candidates who had secured employment into the service.
A check by SaharaReporters showed that the video was no longer available on the agency’s Facebook platform as of 10.45am on Friday.
Customs Announced 3,852 Successful Candidates In July
The controversy follows the July 27 announcement by the NCS that 3,852 Nigerians had been successful in the recruitment exercise.
At a press briefing held at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Abuja, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi announced the release of the final list of successful candidates in the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
According to the CGC, a total of 3,852 candidates were offered employment across three entry cadres of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The breakdown released by the service showed that 1,275 candidates were selected for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspector Cadre and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.
The recruitment exercise reportedly attracted more than 573,000 applications for only 3,852 available positions, making it one of the most competitive recruitment exercises in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service.
In his remarks, Adeniyi acknowledged the lengthy recruitment process and apologised to applicants who had waited for months.
“This exercise has taken longer than any of us intended. On behalf of the Service, I must offer my sincere apologies to every applicant who has waited,” the CGC said.
He also said every candidate whose name appeared on the published list had gone through several stages of scrutiny.
“Every candidate on the list that we published passed through several layers of scrutiny, application screening, computer-based examination, and verification of credentials against the National Identity Database,” he said.
The CGC also addressed the hundreds of thousands of applicants whose names did not appear on the final list.
“I want to speak directly to more than half a million Nigerians who applied and whose names are not on the list. I want to tell you that you are not rejected; you are unlucky in a field of extraordinary competition. All of you met the requirements that we set. There were simply not enough spaces,” he said.
Adeniyi further announced that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service would henceforth become an annual exercise.
Candidates Say They Completed Documentation, Medical Screening
He also explained that the delay in concluding the recruitment process was necessary to ensure transparency, fairness and credibility.
The CGC disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise was expected to commence later in the year, providing another opportunity for qualified Nigerians who were not selected in the 2024/2025 exercise.
However, candidates whose names appeared on the July 27 final list are now questioning why some of them have not received invitations for the training scheduled to begin on Friday, October 9.
The affected candidates told SaharaReporters that they had followed every instruction issued by the Customs Service after their names were published.
According to them, the published list contained candidates selected across the three cadres, with candidates distributed among the different states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The candidates said 35 names were shortlisted from each state for the Assistant Superintendent II cadre, which comprised BSc and HND holders.
They said 10 names were shortlisted from each state for the Assistant Inspectorate cadre for OND and NCE holders.
They also said 65 candidates were shortlisted from each state for the Customs Assistant cadre for SSCE holders.
According to the candidates, after the publication of the list, they were instructed to proceed to the Customs recruitment portal to accept their offers of appointment and upload their medical reports.
“We were then told to proceed to the portal to accept our offer of appointment and upload a medical report, which we did,” one candidate said.
The candidates said they subsequently received instructions to report to Abuja for documentation and physical screening.
They said they complied with the directive despite the financial difficulties involved in travelling to the Federal Capital Territory.
“Then they announced that we should come to Abuja for documentation and physical screening, which we went for,” another candidate said.
According to the affected applicants, some successful candidates were unable to travel to Abuja because of the distance from their states, insecurity along some routes and financial constraints.
They said the Customs Service itself subsequently announced that fewer than 3,000 of the shortlisted candidates had made it to Abuja for documentation.
“We even felt this was an advantage for those of us that made it to Abuja,” one candidate told SaharaReporters.
The candidates said they believed those who completed the Abuja documentation and screening had moved closer to final enlistment and training.
Applicants Allege Officials Assured Them Of Training
They also said Customs officials in Abuja repeatedly gave them assurances that they were successful candidates and should prepare for training.
“In Abuja, all the DCGs, ACGs and officers were telling us congratulations, that we should behave well at the training college,” one affected candidate said.
The candidate further stated that an Assistant Comptroller-General who interacted with them gave them specific assurances concerning the final stage of the process.
“The ACG specifically told us that, at this stage, only candidates with a case of drug abuse could be dropped,” the candidate said.
The candidates said they were also asked to provide guarantors as part of the documentation process.
“We were even requested to produce two guarantors of Level 12 and above and get their official IDs, which we also did,” one of the candidates said.
According to the applicants, complying with the requirements involved additional financial costs, particularly for candidates who travelled long distances to Abuja and had to obtain documents, undergo medical procedures and complete other administrative requirements.
Some of the affected candidates said they made major personal and professional decisions after believing that their recruitment had been concluded.
They said some resigned from their previous jobs after their names appeared on the final list and after they accepted their offers of appointment through the Customs recruitment portal.
The candidates said they believed the publication of their names on the final list, the acceptance of appointment, medical documentation, physical screening and other verification procedures meant that they had successfully secured employment.
They are now questioning why some candidates whose names appeared on the published final list have allegedly not received invitations to report for training.
Candidates Allege Some People Outside Published List Were Invited
The controversy is further complicated by allegations from the candidates that some individuals who did not appear on the published final list have received invitations to the training camp.
One of the affected candidates said the situation had left those on the published list confused.
Customs Insists Recruitment Is Free, Fair, Transparent
When SaharaReporters contacted the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, he reiterated that the ongoing recruitment exercise was free, fair, transparent and credible.
In his response, Maiwada said, “I want to reiterate that the process of the current recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Customs Service is free, fair, transparent and credible.
“In the spirit of balance and transparency, I am delighted to invite you to represent your credible platform for a one-on-one exclusive interview to address all your enquiries regarding this exercise at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
“We will be glad to provide all the information required to properly educate the public about this exercise.
“Thank you in anticipation of your favourable response to our request.”