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 failure to provide recruitment information, refusal to submit to monitoring and disobedience to a directive suspending the Service’s controversial 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
The charges, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, followed allegations of irregularities in the recruitment process, including questions over the selection and replacement of successful candidates, compliance with federal character principles and the failure of the Customs Service to provide the Commission with the information required to assess the distribution of recruitment opportunities across the country.
The charge sheet, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/772/2026 and dated November 12, 2026, lists the Nigeria Customs Service as the first defendant and Adeniyi as the second defendant.
According to the FCC, the defendants allegedly failed to comply with several requests and directives issued in the course of the Commission’s oversight of the recruitment exercise.
The Commission accused the Customs Comptroller-General of failing to furnish information and records relating to the 2025/2026 recruitment process, contrary to Section 14(3)(b) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, 2004, and punishable under Section 15 of the same Act.
In another count, the FCC alleged that Adeniyi failed, refused or neglected to invite the Commission or submit himself to its monitoring of relevant stages of the recruitment exercise.
The Commission further accused the Customs Service and its Comptroller-General of continuing recruitment and training activities despite receiving a directive requiring the suspension of the exercise pending a review.
According to the charge sheet, the FCC issued a letter with reference number FCC/012/S.102/2/VOL.IV/259, dated October 23, 2026, directing the Customs Service to suspend the specified recruitment and training activities, preserve relevant records and permit monitoring by the Commission.
The directive was reportedly issued by the Chairman of the FCC pursuant to Section 5(1)(c) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants continued with the recruitment exercise despite receiving the directive.
Part of the charge reads:
“That you, the Nigeria Customs Service of No. 2 Lake Taal Close, Off Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, and you, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi ‘M’, of No. 2 Lake Taal Close, Off Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja being Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, between 22nd October, 2026 and 23rd October, 2026 or thereabout, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, failed, refused or neglected to comply with the directive of the Federal Character Commission to suspend the 2026 specified recruitment/training activity pending review; preserve records; permit monitoring.”
The Commission alleged that after the directive was served on the Comptroller-General, the Customs Service continued the exercise in disregard of the instruction to suspend recruitment and training activities.
According to the FCC, the alleged conduct constituted an offence contrary to Section 14(3)(b) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act and punishable under Section 15 of the Act.
The Commission also accused the defendants of failing to produce clear eligibility criteria and comprehensive guidelines used in determining the selection of applicants for employment.
The alleged failure covered the period between January 30 and October 20, 2026.
According to the charge sheet, the FCC repeatedly requested the criteria and guidelines but the Customs Service failed to provide them.
The Commission alleged that Adeniyi negligently or wilfully acquiesced in the Service’s failure to produce the documents, thereby preventing the FCC from determining the state or zonal distribution of the available vacancies.
The charge reads in part:
“That you, the Nigeria Customs Service of No. 2 Lake Taal Close, Off Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, and you, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi ‘M’, of No. 2 Lake Taal Close, Off Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja being Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, between 30th January, 2026 and 20th October, 2026 or thereabout, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, in relation to 2025/2026 recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service, failed to produce clear criteria and comprehensive guidelines for determining eligibility for employment, notwithstanding repeated request by the Commission.”
The prosecution further alleged that the Comptroller-General’s conduct prevented the Commission from determining how the vacancies were distributed among states and geopolitical zones.
The FCC maintained that the alleged failure was contrary to Section 14(3)(f) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under Section 15 of the same Act.
The criminal charges followed months of controversy surrounding the recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Customs Service.
In July 2026, the Service released a list of 3,852 successful candidates selected from 573,680 applications received across three recruitment cadres: superintendent, inspectorate and customs assistant.
The recruitment attracted public attention following questions about the selection process, the geographical distribution of successful applicants and the alleged replacement of candidates whose names had initially appeared on the list.
In August, Adeniyi defended the recruitment process, stating that he was prepared to justify the selection of candidates on its merits.
The Comptroller-General maintained that the allocation of successful candidates was equal across the 36 states of the federation.
His position came amid concerns over whether the recruitment complied with the principles of fairness and equitable representation in federal employment.
In September, the Customs Service invited the 3,852 successful candidates for physical screening and documentation at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Some of the candidates were subsequently invited for training.
However, complaints emerged from applicants who alleged that some individuals whose names appeared on the initial list of successful candidates were screened out and replaced by persons who had not participated in the recruitment process.
The allegations prompted further questions about the transparency of the screening exercise and the criteria applied in determining which candidates would proceed to training.
Responding to the complaints in a statement issued on October 19, 2026, the Nigeria Customs Service acknowledged concerns raised by applicants.
The Service disclosed that 397 applicants had been screened out during the physical screening exercise.
According to the NCS, the affected candidates were disqualified over issues relating to substance abuse, age requirements, physical fitness and documentation.
The Service also stated that some applicants were rejected because of “identified irregularities in their selection process during the screening exercise”.
The explanation did not end the controversy, as questions continued over the final composition of the recruitment list and compliance with federal character requirements.
In October, the Federal Character Commission called for the suspension of the Customs recruitment exercise over alleged violations of federal character principles.
The Commission’s intervention was followed by its directive requiring the Customs Service to suspend specified recruitment and training activities, preserve relevant documents and permit regulatory monitoring.
The FCC subsequently alleged that the Customs Service continued the exercise without complying with the directive or providing the requested recruitment records.
The Commission also maintained that the failure to disclose the eligibility criteria and comprehensive selection guidelines prevented it from assessing the distribution of employment opportunities across states and zones.
These allegations now form the basis of the criminal charges filed against the Service and its Comptroller-General.
The proceedings place the FCC’s statutory oversight responsibilities and the Customs Service’s conduct of the recruitment exercise at the centre of the dispute.
While the Customs Service had previously defended the recruitment process and explained the disqualification of 397 applicants, the FCC’s charges concern alleged failures to provide information, permit monitoring, comply with a suspension directive and produce the guidelines required for the Commission’s assessment.
Post Title: “Failed To Comply With Recruitment Suspension Directive” — FCC Files Criminal Charges Against Customs CG Adeniyi, NCS Over 2025/2026 Recruitment By Naijaonpoint.