Recruitment: Federal character commission drags Customs, CG to court

Detailed summary

The Federal Character Commission has filed a four-count criminal charge against the Nigeria Customs Service and its CG, Bashir Adeniyi, over alleged violat Read More:…

The Federal Character Commission has filed a four-count criminal charge against the Nigeria Customs Service and its Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi, over alleged violations of federal character requirements in the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.

The charge sheet, sighted by PUNCH Online on Friday, was filed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The charge accused the Customs Service and Adeniyi of failing to provide recruitment records to the commission, preventing it from monitoring the exercise and disregarding its directive to suspend recruitment and training activities.

In the first count, the commission alleged that the Customs Service failed to submit the nominal rolls for its 2025 recruitment exercise despite receiving a request for the records in a letter dated March 25, 2026.

It also accused Adeniyi of recklessly, negligently or wilfully allowing the Service to disregard the commission’s request.

“That you Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, being an officer of the 1st Defendant, recklessly, negligently or willfully acquiesced in the 1st Defendant’s failure to comply with the directives of the Commission, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(3) (b) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 15 of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, Cap. F7, LFN 2004,” the first count read.

In the second count, the FCC alleged that the Customs Service and its Comptroller-General failed to invite or submit themselves to the commission for monitoring of relevant stages of the 2025/2026 recruitment exercise between September 14 and October 7, 2026.

The third count accused the defendants of continuing with recruitment and training activities despite receiving a letter dated October 23, 2026, directing the Service to suspend the exercise pending a review.

The commission alleged that the Service disregarded the directive and failed to preserve relevant records and allow its…

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