Federal Character Commission takes Nigeria Customs Service and its Comptroller-General to court over alleged recruitment violations in Abuja.
The Federal Character Commission has filed criminal proceedings against the Nigeria Customs Service and its Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, over alleged breaches of the Federal Character Commission Act during the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
The case was instituted before the Federal High Court in Abuja following disagreements over the Commission’s access to recruitment records, monitoring of the exercise and enforcement of equitable representation in the recruitment process.
According to the charge, the Commission alleges that the Customs Service failed to provide recruitment documents, including nominal rolls, despite a formal request issued on March 25, 2026.
The Commission also accused the Service of failing to submit relevant stages of the recruitment exercise for its monitoring, which it says is necessary to assess compliance with the federal character principle.
Another allegation concerns the Service’s alleged failure to comply with an October 23, 2026 directive to suspend certain recruitment and training activities pending the Commission’s review.
The charge further alleges that the Customs Service did not provide clear recruitment criteria and comprehensive eligibility guidelines, making it difficult for the Commission to establish how available vacancies were distributed across states and geopolitical zones.
The Federal Character Commission maintains that access to recruitment records and oversight of public sector employment are statutory responsibilities under the law.
It says public institutions are required to comply with its monitoring processes to ensure equitable representation in government appointments and recruitment.
The proceedings come amid the Commission’s efforts to secure greater oversight of the Customs Service’s ongoing recruitment exercise and establish whether the process complies with the provisions of the Federal Character Commission Act.