Jobs
Nigeria Customs Releases Final 2024/2025 Recruitment List, Announces Annual Recruitment From 2026
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has published the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, ending months of uncertainty for more than 573,000 Nigerians who applied for jobs.
More significantly, the Comptroller-General of Customs announced that the Service intends to abandon its irregular recruitment pattern in favour of an annual recruitment cycle beginning with the 2026 exercise, a policy shift that could reshape employment opportunities in one of Nigeria’s largest security and revenue-generating agencies.
The announcement follows widespread frustration among applicants who had expected the recruitment process, launched in December 2024, to conclude several months earlier.
Why did the recruitment take so long?
In the briefing, the Comptroller-General acknowledged the prolonged wait and apologised to applicants and their families.
“This exercise has taken longer than any of us intended. On behalf of the Service, I offer my sincere apologies to every applicant who has waited, and to the parents and guardians who waited with them. That wait was real, and I do not diminish it.”
He attributed the delay to three main factors:
Processing 573,680 applications.
A high number of retirements among senior Customs officers.
Multiple stages of screening, including computer-based examinations and verification against Nigeria’s national identity database.
According to the Service, successful candidates will still undergo medical screening, physical assessment and final approval by the Nigeria Customs Service Board before final appointment.
However, the Service did not disclose how many applicants were disqualified at each stage.
Less than one per cent were successful
The figures underline how competitive the recruitment exercise was.
Out of 573,680 applicants, only 3,852 secured places, a success rate of approximately 0.67%, or roughly one successful applicant for every 148 candidates.
Competition varied significantly across entry levels.
The Inspectorate Cadre was the most competitive, attracting 128,604 applications for only 367 vacancies, equivalent to one successful candidate for every 350 applicants.
The Superintendent Cadre recorded one successful applicant for every 217 candidates, while the Customs Assistant Cadre had a comparatively higher success rate of one in 76.
Addressing unsuccessful applicants, the Comptroller-General said:
“You were not rejected; you were unlucky in a field of extraordinary competition. Many of you met every requirement the Service set. There were simply not enough places.”
How were candidates distributed?
The Customs Service said recruitment followed the Federal Character principle.
Each of Nigeria’s 36 states received:
35 Superintendent positions;
10 Inspectorate positions;
60 Customs Assistant positions.
That amounts to 105 recruits per state, while the Federal Capital Territory received 72 positions under the applicable allocation formula.
The Comptroller-General stated:
“Not one place was allocated at the discretion of any officer of this Service. The Federal Character principle has been applied in full.”
Although the Service outlined the allocation formula, it did not publish the detailed state-by-state list explaining how candidates ranked within each state or whether reserve lists exist.
Transparency advocates have long argued that greater disclosure would strengthen public confidence in federal recruitment exercises.
Women accounted for one in five successful candidates
Women secured 839 positions, representing 21.8% of the intake.
According to Customs, women constituted 21.2% of all applicants, meaning their success rate was marginally higher than that of male applicants.
The Service attributed the gender imbalance largely to the nature of available vacancies.
Around 85% of positions, it said, involve physically demanding operational duties such as border patrols, anti-smuggling operations and field enforcement, which historically attract fewer female applicants.
The Comptroller-General added:
“The Service is not content to leave the matter there. We intend to work more deliberately on attracting qualified women into the enforcement stream in future exercises, because a Customs administration that reflects the country it serves is a stronger administration.”
Gender and public sector experts have previously argued that increasing female participation in law enforcement depends not only on recruitment campaigns but also on workplace conditions, career progression, family-friendly policies and equal opportunities.
A younger workforce
The Service said the median age of successful recruits is 26 years, with nearly three-quarters under the age of 30.
Officials argue that recruiting younger officers will help modernise Customs operations as border management increasingly relies on digital systems, automated risk management and intelligence-led enforcement.
The biggest announcement: annual recruitment
Beyond publishing the recruitment list, the Customs Service announced what may prove the more consequential policy change.
Rather than waiting several years between recruitment exercises, the Service plans to recruit every year.
According to the Comptroller-General:
“The Nigeria Customs Service is moving to an annual recruitment cycle. Recruitment will no longer be an occasional event undertaken every several years. It will be a standing, predictable, yearly process.”
He added that the 2026 recruitment exercise would open later this year and that the entire process should be completed within one calendar year.
Whether that target is achieved will depend on funding, administrative capacity and continued oversight from the Nigeria Customs Service Board.
Why does this matter?
Nigeria faces persistently high youth unemployment, making recruitment into federal agencies intensely competitive.
Regular recruitment could provide greater certainty for applicants while helping Customs replace officers retiring under the Public Service Rules without creating staffing gaps.
The Service also argues that predictable recruitment will improve workforce planning and institutional continuity.
However, observers are likely to judge the success of the new policy not by the announcement itself but by whether future exercises are completed more quickly and transparently than the 2024/2025 process.
Warning against recruitment fraud
The Customs Service reiterated that recruitment remains free.
Successful candidates will be contacted through the details submitted during application and advised to rely only on official communication channels.
The Comptroller-General warned:
“Recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service is free. No candidate has paid, and no candidate should pay, any person or group for a place on this list. Anyone who solicits payment on our behalf is a criminal, and should be reported to the Service and to the security agencies.”
The Nigeria Police Force has disowned a purported press release claiming that Inspector-General of Police Olukayode Egbetokun had directed the commencement of training for 50,000 newly recruited police constables.
The Force said the document, which is circulating online and bears the name and designation of the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, is false and unauthorised.
Police recruitment candidates and members of the public have been urged not to rely on the information contained in the fake statement.
Police: Document was not issued by NPF
In a disclaimer issued on Saturday, the Nigeria Police Force said it had no connection with the purported statement titled, “IGP OLATUNJI RILWAN DISU DIRECTS COMMENCEMENT OF TRAINING FOR 50,000 NEWLY RECRUITED POLICE CONSTABLES.”
The Force said the document was neither issued nor authorised by the Nigeria Police Force.
“The document is false and was neither issued nor authorised by the Nigeria Police Force.”
The disclaimer also advised police recruitment candidates to verify information about the recruitment exercise through official channels.
Police recruitment candidates warned
The warning is particularly significant for applicants following developments around the ongoing police recruitment process, as false announcements can create confusion about training dates, selection and other recruitment procedures.
The Force advised members of the public to rely only on information published through the official Police recruitment portal and verified Nigeria Police Force communication channels.
It did not announce a new training date for 50,000 recruits in the disclaimer.
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Police begin investigation into fake release
The Nigeria Police Force said it was tracking those responsible for producing and circulating the document.
According to the Force, anyone found culpable will face appropriate legal action.
The development highlights the need for recruitment applicants to verify purported police announcements before acting on them or sharing them online.
What applicants should do
Police recruitment candidates should:
Verify recruitment updates through official Nigeria Police Force channels.
Avoid relying on screenshots or forwarded statements whose authenticity cannot be confirmed.
Check the official recruitment portal for information about recruitment stages and training.
Avoid sharing unverified recruitment announcements on social media.
Why the warning matters
Fake recruitment notices can potentially mislead applicants into believing that they have been selected for training or that they need to report at a particular location.
For job seekers, particularly those waiting for updates on a large-scale recruitment exercise, the circulation of false information can create unnecessary anxiety and confusion.
The police therefore urged candidates to treat unofficial recruitment announcements with caution.
What happens next?
The Nigeria Police Force said it is pursuing those behind the fake document and would take legal action against anyone found responsible.
For now, the Force has not authenticated the circulating claim about the commencement of training for 50,000 newly recruited constables.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun the final phase of its 2025 recruitment exercise, with shortlisted candidates undergoing documentation, physical fitness assessments and medical screening in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The two-week exercise started on Monday, 7 September 2026, at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Gwagwalada, and is scheduled to end on 19 September.
The screening covers candidates shortlisted for the Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASCII), Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres.
To manage the number of applicants and reduce congestion, candidates are being screened in batches based on the alphabetical order of their states of origin.
Customs warns candidates on discipline
The NCS said the final stage is not limited to physical fitness and medical assessments, but also includes scrutiny of candidates’ conduct and discipline.
Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resource Development, Frank Onyeka, urged applicants to follow the screening guidelines and maintain order at the centre.
“Beyond physical requirements, your attitude, discipline, and conduct are critical factors in deciding who ultimately joins the Service.”
Onyeka, who spoke on behalf of Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, congratulated the candidates for reaching the final stage of the recruitment process.
“On behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, I congratulate you on reaching this stage,” Onyeka said.
“I urge you to remain orderly and strictly adhere to the guidelines. Beyond physical requirements, your attitude, discipline, and conduct are critical factors in deciding who ultimately joins the Service.”
He added that the NCS was working with the Customs Police and other relevant units to protect the integrity of the screening exercise.
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Screening timetable
The exercise is being conducted according to the different recruitment cadres.
Screening for candidates under the Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) cadre is expected to end on Thursday, 10 September.
The Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres will continue their evaluations until 19 September.
The recruitment process is therefore expected to narrow the pool of shortlisted applicants further before successful candidates proceed to subsequent stages of their engagement with the Service.
NCS highlights improved screening process
The Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Dow Gaura, said measures had been introduced to make the exercise more organised.
According to him, administrative changes and collaboration between agencies have helped streamline activities at the screening centre.
“The process has been seamless, hitch-free, and conducted without any casualties.”
“Everything happening here reflects the policy vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs, which emphasised continuous operational improvement, collaboration, and innovation,” Gaura said.
“The process has been seamless, hitch-free, and conducted without any casualties.”
What candidates should know
The ongoing exercise is a significant stage in the NCS recruitment process because candidates must satisfy several requirements before they can be considered for appointment.
Applicants participating in the exercise are expected to comply with instructions at the screening centre and complete the required documentation, fitness and medical assessments.
The NCS has also emphasised that professional conduct remains an important consideration alongside candidates’ physical and medical suitability.
Why the recruitment matters
The recruitment comes as the NCS continues to strengthen its workforce responsible for customs administration, trade facilitation and enforcement at Nigeria’s borders and ports.
For applicants who made the shortlist, the September screening represents the final major assessment stage before the Service determines those who will proceed further in the recruitment process.
NigeriaUpdates will continue to monitor the exercise and provide updates on the recruitment process.
Jobs
Nigeria Customs Releases Final ASC II Recruitment List, Sets 29 July Deadline for Medical Certificate Upload
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of successful candidates for recruitment into the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASC II), marking the final phase of its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
Applicants have been directed to check their recruitment status on the agency’s official website and in selected national newspapers before proceeding with mandatory documentation required for appointment.
Why it matters
The announcement is significant for thousands of Nigerians who applied for positions in one of the country’s key revenue-generating and border security agencies.
Beyond offering employment opportunities, the recruitment is expected to strengthen the Customs Service’s workforce as it expands efforts to improve border management, trade facilitation, revenue collection and anti-smuggling operations.
What successful candidates must do
According to a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, successful candidates will also receive notifications through their registered email addresses or SMS.
Candidates are expected to log into the recruitment portal using either their National Identification Number (NIN) or registered email address to upload a valid Medical Certificate of Fitness obtained from a government-recognised hospital.
The Customs Service said the upload portal will become active on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, and candidates will have one week to complete the process.
Applicants are also required to update their current state of residence and formally accept the provisional offer of appointment through the recruitment portal before awaiting the issuance of a Trainee Identification Number.
The Service said details of documentation and physical screening, including venues, dates and required documents, would be communicated through its official channels.
Customs warns against missing deadlines
The Nigeria Customs Service warned that candidates who fail to complete any stage of the process within the stipulated timelines risk losing their provisional appointments.
The statement said: “All successful candidates are advised to strictly comply with the outlined instructions and complete each stage within the stipulated timelines. Failure to comply with any of the requirements or timelines may result in disqualification from the recruitment process and forfeiture of the provisional offer of appointment.”
Congratulations to successful applicants
On behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service Board, the Comptroller-General congratulated successful candidates and encouraged them to prepare for careers in public service.
The statement added: “The Comptroller-General of Customs congratulates all successful candidates on their success in the recruitment exercise and looks forward to welcoming them into the Nigeria Customs Service as they commence a career dedicated to professionalism, integrity and service to the nation.”
What’s next?
Successful candidates must:
Confirm their names on the official recruitment list.
Upload a government-issued Medical Certificate of Fitness from 29 July 2026.
Update their residential details.
Accept the provisional appointment online.
Await their Trainee Identification Number and physical screening schedule.
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