Nigeria Customs Completes Screening for 2025 Recruits

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has concluded the final phase of its 2025 recruitment exercise.

The service disclosed this in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Maiwada said shortlisted candidates had completed documentation, physical fitness assessments and medical screenings at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in Gwagwalada, Abuja. He said the two-week exercise covered candidates across the Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASC II), Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres, with screening conducted in batches to ensure an orderly process and minimise congestion at the centre.

Speaking on the outcome, Mr Frank Onyeka, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resource Development, said measures had been put in place to address gaps identified during the earlier phase of the exercise, with the aim of improving the screening process and ensuring greater efficiency. He stressed the importance of discipline and responsibility among the candidates.

Similarly, Mr Adamu Musa, Deputy Comptroller of Customs and a member of the coordinating team, said the exercise had recorded significant improvement, with close to 3,000 candidates screened without any casualty. He attributed the progress to the introduction of personalised screening forms containing each candidate's records across the various assessment stages.

"Any candidate that has been shortlisted has a form designed especially for him, unlike in the past where you come, they issue you a form, and then some people along the way go and even change some of the records. These forms come with the candidates' records, including their names and details for sports, medical, documentation and the checklist of required items. So, once the candidate comes, you just verify what you already have from the system," he explained.

Musa underscored the importance of continuous manpower development in strengthening the service's capacity to meet its evolving responsibilities in national security, border protection and other areas, noting that the growing demands placed on Customs make it necessary to keep improving its workforce.

He said candidates were assessed against criteria set by the service, including age, physical fitness and drug screening, explaining that candidates who test positive for hard drugs, exceed the stipulated age limit, or have physical conditions that could affect their duties may be disqualified, subject to management's final decision.

He also advised candidates and members of the public to verify recruitment information only through the service's official website and verified social media platforms, in order to avoid fraudulent messages.

The NCS had earlier announced an annual recruitment cycle and released the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise on Aug. 4. The exercise attracted 573,680 applications for the 3,852 available positions, with 1,275 candidates selected for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.