THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to lose a total of 1,516 officers nationwide over the next two years following the release of statutory retirement lists covering 825 officers in 2026 and another 691 officers in 2027.
The impending retirements will affect officers across virtually all cadres of the Service, from the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General to Customs Assistant II, in what is shaping up to be one of the largest personnel exits in the agency’s recent history.
The retirement notices were contained in two restricted circulars issued by the Service’s Human Resource and Development Department and signed by the Comptroller, Establishment, A.A. Bazuaye, on behalf of the Deputy Comptroller-General, Human Resources and Development.
According to the documents sighted by News Point Nigeria, the affected officers are due to leave the Service in line with statutory retirement provisions as stipulated under the Public Service Rules.
The first document, Circular No. HRD/2025/048 dated September 19, 2025, contains what was described as the final list of 825 officers scheduled for retirement in 2026.
A breakdown of the list shows that the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre accounts for the highest number with 285 officers, followed by the Superintendent of Customs cadre with 226 officers.
Other affected cadres include Assistant Superintendent of Customs I with 64 officers, Chief Customs Officer with 53 officers, Deputy Customs Officer with 51 officers, Assistant Customs Officer with 46 officers, Chief Superintendent of Customs with 61 officers, Inspector of Customs with eight officers, Assistant Superintendent of Customs II with 10 officers, Customs Assistant I with one officer, Customs Assistant II with two officers, Assistant Comptroller-General with 13 officers and Deputy Comptroller-General with five officers.
A second circular, No. HRD/2026/020 dated May 26, 2026, forwarded a draft list of 691 officers due for statutory retirement in 2027.
According to the document, the Superintendent of Customs cadre will account for the highest number of retirements in 2027 with 200 officers, followed by the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre with 193 officers.
Other officers scheduled to retire in 2027 include 81 Deputy Customs Officers, 68 Chief Superintendents of Customs, 57 Assistant Customs Officers, 39 Assistant Superintendents of Customs I, 38 Chief Customs Officers, four Assistant Superintendents of Customs II, four Customs Assistants I, four Customs Assistants II, two Inspectors of Customs and four Assistant Comptrollers-General.
In both circulars, the Service directed all affected officers to proceed on mandatory pre-retirement leave in accordance with Public Service Rule 100238 and Federal Government Circular No. 63216/S.I/X/T; CR 1/2001/5 of March 20, 2001.
The officers were also directed to ensure compliance and forward their three-month pre-retirement notices to the Comptroller-General of Customs.
The circulars stated: “I am directed to forward the attached list on the above subject matter as retirement notice to all affected personnel. In accordance with the Public Service Rule (PSR) No. 100238 and Federal Government Circular No.63216/S.I/X/T; CR 1,/2001/5 of 20/03/2001, all affected officers due for retirement are to disengage from the active service and proceed on pre-retirement leave, three months prior to their effective date of retirement.”
The 2027 circular further opened a window for complaints and corrections, stating that “any observed error, omission or legitimate complaints arising from the attached list should be forwarded to the office of the Deputy Comptroller-General (HRD) on or before 31 July 2026.”
To ensure widespread dissemination, Zonal Coordinators, Area Controllers and Unit Heads were directed to circulate the retirement lists to all affected officers.
Among the officers listed for retirement are Deputy Comptrollers-General Omale (SVC No. 41148), who retired on June 7, 2026; Nnadi (SVC No. 43193), whose retirement took effect on March 3, 2026; Chiroma (SVC No. 42988), who retired on September 23, 2026; and Adeola MRS (SVC No. 42972) and Niagwan (SVC No. 41524), both scheduled to retire on December 23, 2026.
Also affected by the 2026 retirement exercise are several Assistant Comptrollers-General, including Egwuh (SVC No. 38991), who retired on March 14, 2026; Umoh (SVC No. 41351), who exited the Service on February 2, 2026; Mohammed (SVC Nos. 41394 and 41395), both of whom retired on June 24, 2026; and Abe (SVC No. 41110), whose retirement date is August 21, 2026.
Others include Olomu (SVC No. 41145), Olaniyan (SVC No. 41197), Yusuf (SVC No. 41257), Oladeji (SVC No. 41308) and Gaji (SVC No. 41328), all scheduled for retirement on September 24, 2026.
Also listed are Adebakin (SVC No. 41670) and Bomodi (SVC No. 42758), both due for retirement on September 23, 2026, as well as Nyam (SVC No. 40428) and Abubakar (SVC No. 40139), whose retirement dates fall on October 1, 2026, among others.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Abejide Leke Joseph, clarified that the retirements are purely statutory and unrelated to reports surrounding the appointment of a new Comptroller-General of Customs.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the lawmaker dismissed allegations that the purported appointment of Deputy Comptroller I.D. Olorunfemi as the next Comptroller-General would trigger the forced retirement of senior officers.
“The Civil Service Rules are very clear. Retirement after 35 years in service or at the age of 60 is not by compulsion; it is by law. Therefore, suggestions that any officer would be retired to create room for another appointment are false and misleading,” Abejide said.
He attributed the large number of retirements to a prolonged recruitment gap within the Service.
“There is a 16-year gap of non-recruitment and stagnant promotion. As a result, officers of 41000, 42000, and 43000 service numbers categories have risen through the ranks almost simultaneously and now occupy similar levels of seniority,” he explained.
According to him, the development has created a top-heavy structure within the Nigeria Customs Service, with many officers reaching retirement age or service limits around the same period.
Abejide disclosed that more than 1,500 officers are expected to retire under the provisions of Public Service Rule 100238, stressing that the exercise is a natural and legally mandated process rather than a consequence of any leadership succession arrangement.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigeria Customs Service spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, on plans to replace the retiring officers were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The development comes just days after President Bola Tinubu approved a final six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, allowing him to remain in office until February 2027.
The extension was announced on Friday in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Adeniyi’s first tenure extension was due to expire on August 1, 2026, but the President approved an additional six months to enable him to complete key reforms within the Service.
Onanuga said the extension was granted “to enable him to consolidate the implementation of the National Single Window and ensure an orderly succession in the service.”
He added that during the transition period, Adeniyi would work closely with the Nigeria Customs Service Board to oversee critical personnel matters and facilitate a smooth leadership transition.