The Federal Character Commission has instituted criminal proceedings against the Nigeria Customs Service and its Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, over alleged violations of the Federal Character Commission Act during the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
The charges were filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja following the Commission’s efforts to obtain recruitment records, monitor the exercise and verify compliance with the federal character principle.
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The principle requires equitable representation of Nigeria’s states and geopolitical zones in appointments and recruitment into federal institutions.
The Commission alleges that the Nigeria Customs Service failed to provide requested recruitment records, including nominal rolls, despite a formal request dated 25th March 2026.
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It further accuses the Service of failing to submit various stages of the recruitment process for monitoring and disregarding a directive issued on 23rd October 2026 to suspend certain recruitment and training activities pending a review.
The Commission also alleges that the Customs Service failed to provide clear recruitment criteria and eligibility guidelines, making it difficult to verify how vacancies were distributed across states and geopolitical zones.
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It maintains that access to recruitment records, monitoring of employment processes and enforcement of equitable representation are statutory responsibilities of the Commission.
The allegations are yet to be established before the court.