By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has filed criminal charges against the Nigeria Customs Service and its Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The proceedings relate to alleged non-compliance with the Federal Character Commission Act during the Service’s 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
The Commission states that the case follows its attempts to obtain recruitment records, monitor the exercise, and assess adherence to the federal character principle, which requires equitable representation across states and geopolitical zones.
The charges allege that the Nigeria Customs Service did not provide requested records, including nominal rolls, after a formal request dated 25 March 2026. Additional allegations include failure to submit stages of the recruitment process for monitoring and non-compliance with a 23 October 2026 directive to suspend specified recruitment and training activities pending review.
The Commission also claims the Service did not supply clear recruitment criteria and eligibility guidelines, which hindered verification of the distribution of vacancies by state and geopolitical zone. It maintains that monitoring recruitment, accessing records, and ensuring equitable representation are statutory duties.
