Candidates shortlisted for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment exercise staged a protest at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, October 26, alleging irregularities in the selection process.
The applicants claimed that their names were removed from the final list of successful candidates and replaced with those of individuals who did not participate in the examination.
The protesters demanded justice, a review of their cases and the issuance of their Training Identification Numbers (TINs), which they said were necessary for them to proceed with the training exercise.
They maintained that their names had appeared on the published list of successful applicants and that they had completed the required screening stages before being excluded from training.
The aggrieved candidates also accused the Customs Service of failing to respond to their complaints despite attempts to resolve the matter through official correspondence. They further alleged that the agency ignored a request by the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to suspend the training exercise.
Some of the protesters displayed placards calling on the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to honour the published list and explain why eligible applicants were excluded.
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They also rejected suggestions that certificate forgery, drug-related issues or misconduct could have led to their exclusion, insisting that they possessed documents supporting their claims.
The controversy follows an earlier report that the Customs Service acknowledged that some names had been unlawfully inserted into the recruitment list. The agency reportedly warned that unqualified applicants would not be allowed to participate in the training.
The service’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, had explained that the publication of candidates’ names did not amount to final appointment, as further verification could result in disqualification.
The recruitment exercise reportedly attracted 573,680 applicants, with 3,852 candidates appearing on the published list of successful applicants.
The protesting candidates called on the authorities to investigate their complaints, review the affected cases and provide clear explanations for their exclusion from the training process.
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