The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to lose 1,516 officers nationwide over the next two years following the release of statutory retirement lists covering personnel due to exit the service in 2026 and 2027.
According to documents issued by the Human Resource and Development Department of the Service, 825 officers are scheduled to retire in 2026, while another 691 officers will leave in 2027 in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules.
The retirement exercise will affect officers across all cadres, ranging from Deputy Comptrollers-General to Customs Assistant II. Among those expected to leave the Service are five Deputy Comptrollers-General and 13 Assistant Comptrollers-General.
The retirement notices, contained in restricted circulars signed by the Comptroller in charge of Establishment, A.A. Bazuaye, on behalf of the Deputy Comptroller-General, Human Resources and Development, directed affected officers to proceed on pre-retirement leave three months before their effective retirement dates.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon. Leke Joseph Abejide, described the retirements as a routine exercise dictated by law, dismissing claims that they were linked to the appointment of a new Comptroller-General of Customs.
According to him, retirement after attaining 60 years of age or completing 35 years in service is a statutory requirement and not a targeted exercise.
Abejide attributed the unusually high number of retirements to a 16-year recruitment gap within the Service, which resulted in many officers rising through the ranks simultaneously and now reaching retirement age at about the same time.
President Bola Tinubu recently granted Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, a final six-month tenure extension until February 2027 to enable him consolidate ongoing reforms and ensure an orderly transition in the Service.
The wave of retirements is expected to create vacancies in the upper hierarchy of the Customs Service, paving the way for a fresh round of promotions and leadership succession.
