Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
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 violations of federal character requirements in the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
The charges, instituted at the Federal High Court in Abuja, centre on allegations that the Customs Service failed to provide essential recruitment records, obstructed the Commission’s monitoring activities and continued recruitment-related operations despite a directive to suspend the process pending a review.
The development represents an escalation of the disagreement between the two federal institutions over the transparency, fairness and administration of the recruitment exercise, which attracted hundreds of thousands of applications from Nigerians seeking employment.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Commission disclosed the criminal proceedings in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Lawrence Ademola, on Friday, November 13, 2026.
The charge, dated November 12 and registered as FHC/ABJ/CR/772/2026, lists the Nigeria Customs Service and Adeniyi as defendants.
FCC Details Four Alleged Offences
The four-count charge outlines allegations relating to the Commission’s attempts to obtain recruitment information and monitor compliance with federal character requirements.
In the first count, the Commission accused the Nigeria Customs Service of failing to provide its nominal rolls and other relevant records concerning the 2025/2026 recruitment exercise despite receiving a formal request dated March 25, 2026.
The FCC also accused Adeniyi of recklessly, negligently or wilfully allowing the Service to disregard the request.
Nominal rolls and recruitment records are important documents for assessing the distribution of employment opportunities across Nigeria’s states and geopolitical zones.
The Commission maintains that access to such information is necessary to determine whether appointments into federal institutions comply with established federal character principles.
The second count concerns the alleged failure of the Customs Service and its Comptroller-General to submit relevant stages of the recruitment exercise for monitoring between September 14 and October 7, 2026.
The Commission argued that the alleged failure prevented it from properly carrying out its statutory oversight responsibilities.
Commission Accuses Customs of Ignoring Suspension Directive
The third count focuses on a directive reportedly issued by the Federal Character Commission on October 23, 2026.
According to the allegations, the Commission instructed the Customs Service to suspend specified recruitment and training activities pending a review of the exercise.
The directive also reportedly required the Service to preserve relevant recruitment records and allow the Commission to monitor the process.
However, the FCC alleged that the Customs Service continued with the activities despite receiving the instruction.
The fourth count concerns the alleged failure of the Service to provide clear recruitment criteria and comprehensive eligibility guidelines.
The Commission said it repeatedly requested the documents between January 30 and October 20, 2026, but the necessary information was not supplied.
According to the FCC, the absence of the guidelines prevented it from determining how available vacancies were distributed across Nigeria’s states and geopolitical zones.
The allegations are now before the court, which will determine whether the defendants violated the relevant provisions of the law.
Dispute Follows Complaints From Recruitment Applicants
The criminal proceedings follow months of disagreement between the Federal Character Commission and the Nigeria Customs Service over the recruitment exercise.
The controversy attracted public attention after complaints emerged from applicants who reportedly said they had been shortlisted but were subsequently excluded from the training programme.
The Commission also raised concerns over reports that some individuals whose names were allegedly absent from published final lists received invitations to participate in training.
These complaints prompted the FCC to question the transparency of the selection process and whether the recruitment had been conducted with adequate regulatory monitoring.
The Commission subsequently called for the suspension of the ongoing recruitment training to allow a review of the exercise.
The disagreement has placed the recruitment process under increased scrutiny, particularly regarding the treatment of applicants, the selection of successful candidates and the distribution of employment opportunities across the country.
Customs Recruitment Attracted More Than 573,000 Applications
The scale of the recruitment exercise has contributed to the public interest surrounding the dispute.
The Nigeria Customs Service reportedly received 573,680 applications, with 3,852 candidates eventually declared successful across different cadres.
The recruitment covered the Superintendent, Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres, with the final lists published between July 28 and July 30, 2026.
However, the Service subsequently acknowledged complaints involving applicants who had been shortlisted but were later disqualified during screening.
According to earlier reports by The Punch, the Customs Service identified screening issues involving 397 applicants and initiated a review process following complaints from affected candidates.
The issues reportedly involved substance abuse, age requirements, physical fitness and documentation.
Adeniyi had also ordered a case-by-case reassessment of complaints raised by applicants.
The Customs Service maintained that appearing on a shortlist did not automatically guarantee final enlistment, as candidates were still required to satisfy the relevant screening and verification requirements.
The distinction between shortlisting and final enlistment remains important to the controversy, as applicants have questioned the circumstances surrounding their exclusion after participating in earlier stages of the recruitment process.
What the Federal Character Principle Means
The federal character principle is a constitutional requirement intended to promote fairness and equitable representation in Nigeria’s public institutions.
It seeks to ensure that appointments into federal government institutions reflect the country’s geographical and ethnic diversity rather than concentrating employment opportunities in particular states or sections of the federation.
The Federal Character Commission is responsible for monitoring compliance with the principle across government ministries, departments and agencies.
Its responsibilities include examining recruitment procedures, assessing the distribution of employment opportunities and ensuring that public institutions follow prescribed representation requirements.
The Commission has maintained that its role is not to recruit employees on behalf of government agencies but to monitor and enforce compliance with the relevant regulations.
The FCC has cited provisions of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, 2004, as the legal foundation for its intervention in the Customs recruitment dispute.
Section 5(2) provides the Commission with powers to institute legal proceedings against persons or institutions that fail to comply with the Act.
The Commission also referenced Section 4(1)(c), which concerns compliance with prescribed federal character principles and formulae.
The current proceedings will therefore test the application of these statutory responsibilities in the context of recruitment conducted by a major federal agency.
FCC Lists Witnesses and Documentary Evidence
The Commission has identified witnesses and documentary evidence it intends to present during the proceedings.
Three witnesses have been listed, including Abdulwasiu Bawa-Allah, Chairman of the FCC Committee on Financial Services; Isa Jibrin Bida, a committee member; and Usman Yaruwa, the committee’s clerk.
The Commission also listed documentary evidence, including correspondence exchanged between the FCC and the Nigeria Customs Service, reports concerning the Service and records of its October 22 press conference.
The evidence is expected to help establish the Commission’s requests, the responses received from the Customs Service and the circumstances surrounding the alleged failure to comply with its directives.
The defendants will have the opportunity to challenge the prosecution’s evidence and present their own defence through the judicial process.
Why the Case Matters
The case has implications beyond the immediate disagreement between the Federal Character Commission and the Nigeria Customs Service.
It raises broader questions about accountability, transparency and the responsibilities of government institutions when conducting large-scale recruitment exercises.
For thousands of Nigerians seeking federal government employment, recruitment processes must provide clear eligibility requirements, transparent selection procedures and accessible information about how successful candidates are determined.
The federal character principle is particularly important in a diverse country such as Nigeria, where equitable representation in public institutions remains a significant governance issue.
When regulatory institutions cannot obtain the records required to monitor recruitment, their ability to enforce compliance could be weakened.
Similarly, disputes over the selection and exclusion of candidates can undermine public confidence in government employment processes.
The proceedings could therefore become an important test of the extent to which federal agencies must cooperate with the Federal Character Commission and comply with its statutory oversight responsibilities.
For the Customs Service, the case places its recruitment procedures and documentation under increased legal scrutiny. For the Commission, it represents an attempt to enforce compliance through the courts.
What Happens Next?
The criminal proceedings will continue at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the Commission will be required to establish its allegations against the Nigeria Customs Service and Bashir Adeniyi.
The defendants are entitled to respond to the charges, challenge the prosecution’s evidence and present their defence.
The court will ultimately determine whether the alleged actions constitute offences under the Federal Character Commission Act.
As of November 14, 2026, the available reports reviewed for this article had not established a final judicial determination of the charges or provided a substantive response from the Customs Service and its Comptroller-General.
The outcome will be closely watched because of its potential implications for recruitment oversight, institutional accountability and the enforcement of federal character requirements in Nigeria.
For applicants affected by the recruitment controversy, the proceedings may also bring further attention to questions surrounding the selection process and the handling of complaints.
Ultimately, the case centres on whether the Nigeria Customs Service complied with its obligations to provide recruitment information, facilitate regulatory monitoring and observe the Commission’s directives.
Until the court reaches a determination, the allegations against the Service and its Comptroller-General remain unproven.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
- The Punch – Reporting on complaints and the review of the Customs recruitment exercise.
- TheCable – Reporting on the Federal Character Commission’s legal action.
- International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) – Reporting on the recruitment controversy.
