Nigeria Customs Service Begins Final Phase of 2025 Recruitment Screening in Abuja

By Stella Okocha 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced the final phase of its 2025 recruitment exercise, with shortlisted candidates undergoing documentation, physical fitness assessments and medical screening at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The two-week exercise, which began on Monday, 7 September 2026, is scheduled to run until Saturday, 19 September 2026. It covers successful applicants shortlisted for the Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASCII), Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres.

To ensure an orderly process and prevent overcrowding at the screening centre, candidates are being screened in batches according to the alphabetical order of their states of origin.

Addressing candidates at the centre, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resource Development, Frank Onyeka, urged applicants to demonstrate discipline and professionalism throughout the exercise.

“On behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, I congratulate you on reaching this stage,” Onyeka said. He advised candidates to remain orderly and comply strictly with the screening guidelines, stressing that the Service would assess more than physical fitness.

According to him, candidates’ attitude, character, discipline and general conduct would also form part of the considerations in determining those who will eventually join the Service.

Onyeka added that the NCS was collaborating with the Customs Police and other relevant units to protect the integrity of the recruitment process and ensure that the exercise was conducted in a secure and transparent manner.

The Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Dow Gaura, also said administrative improvements and cooperation among relevant agencies had contributed to the smooth conduct of the screening.

Gaura explained that the process was aligned with the policy direction of the Comptroller-General of Customs, particularly in the areas of operational improvement, innovation and inter-agency collaboration.

He described the exercise as seamless and hitch-free, noting that it had so far been conducted without casualties.

The screening exercise for candidates in the Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) cadre is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, 10 September 2026. Screening for candidates in the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres will continue until 19 September 2026.

Candidates are expected to adhere strictly to the instructions and schedules issued by the Nigeria Customs Service throughout the remaining stages of the recruitment exercise.