No fewer than 1,516 officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), including five Deputy Comptrollers-General (DCGs), are set to leave the Service within the next two years in what has emerged as one of the biggest retirement exercises in the agency’s history.
Documents obtained by our reporter revealed that 825 officers will retire in 2026, while another 691 officers are billed to exit in 2027, in line with statutory retirement regulations.
The retirement notices, contained in two restricted circulars issued by the Human Resources and Development Department of the Service, showed that officers across virtually all cadres—from Deputy Comptroller-General down to Customs Assistant II—will be affected.
The 2026 retirement list includes five DCGs: Omale, Nnadi, Chiroma, Adeola MRS and Niagwan, alongside 13 Assistant Comptrollers-General and hundreds of senior and junior officers.
A breakdown of the 825 officers expected to retire in 2026 shows that the Deputy Superintendent cadre accounts for the highest number with 285 officers, followed by the Superintendent cadre with 226 officers. Other affected categories include Assistant Superintendent I, Chief Superintendent, Chief Customs Officer, Deputy Customs Officer, Assistant Customs Officer and Inspector of Customs.
Similarly, the 2027 draft retirement list contains 691 officers, with the Superintendent cadre accounting for 200 retirements and the Deputy Superintendent cadre contributing 193 officers.
The circulars directed all affected officers to proceed on mandatory pre-retirement leave three months before their effective retirement dates in line with Public Service Rules.
The documents stated: “All affected officers due for retirement are to disengage from active service and proceed on pre-retirement leave three months prior to their effective date of retirement.”
The development comes amid discussions over succession plans in the Service following President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a final six-month tenure extension for Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who will now remain in office until February 2027.
However, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Abejide Leke Joseph, dismissed claims that the retirements were linked to the emergence of a new Comptroller-General.
According to him, the retirements are purely statutory and in line with civil service regulations.
“The Civil Service Rules are very clear. Retirement after 35 years in service or at the age of 60 is by law. Therefore, suggestions that any officer would be retired to create room for another appointment are false and misleading,” he said.
Abejide explained that a 16-year recruitment gap within the Service had created an unusual situation where many officers recruited around the same period rose through the ranks together and are now due for retirement almost simultaneously.
“There is a 16-year gap of non-recruitment and stagnant promotion. Officers in the 41000, 42000 and 43000 service number categories have risen through the ranks almost at the same time and now occupy similar levels of seniority,” he stated.
The lawmaker noted that the retirement of over 1,500 officers was a natural consequence of the Service’s personnel structure and not the result of any succession arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government expects the transition period under Adeniyi’s extended tenure to facilitate the promotion of eligible officers and ensure an orderly retirement process for those who have attained the mandatory age of 60 years or completed 35 years in service.
The mass retirement is expected to trigger one of the largest personnel reshuffles in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service.
