Retirement Wave Hits Customs, 1,516 Officers to Leave Service by 2027

No fewer than 1,516 officers have been directed to leave the Nigeria Customs Service over the next two years following the release of statutory retirement lists covering 825 officers in 2026 and 691 officers in 2027.

The development is expected to pave the way for the appointment of a new Comptroller-General of Customs to succeed the outgoing Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved a fresh six-month extension of service for Adeniyi.
The affected officers’ 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, officers across all cadres, from the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General to Customs Assistant II, will exit the service in line with statutory retirement provisions.
The first document, Circular No. HRD/2025/048 dated September 19, 2025, contains the final list of 825 officers scheduled to retire in 2026.
A breakdown of the list shows that the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre accounts for 285 officers, followed by the Superintendent of Customs with 226 officers. Other affected cadres include Assistant Superintendent of Customs I with 64 officers, Chief Customs Officer with 53, Deputy Customs Officer with 51, Assistant Customs Officer with 46, Chief Superintendent of Customs with 61, Inspector of Customs with eight, Assistant Superintendent of Customs II with 10, Customs Assistant I with one, Customs Assistant II with two, Assistant Comptroller-General with 13 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.
The list indicates that the Superintendent of Customs cadre will account for the highest number of retirements with 200 officers, followed by the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre with 193 officers. Others include Deputy Customs Officer with 81 officers, Chief Superintendent of Customs with 68, Assistant Customs Officer with 57, Assistant Superintendent of Customs I with 39, Chief Customs Officer with 38, Assistant Superintendent of Customs II with four, Customs Assistant I with four, Customs Assistant II with four, Inspector of Customs with two and Assistant Comptroller-General with four officers.
In both circulars, the Service directed 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 affected officers were also directed to ensure compliance and forward their three-month pre-retirement notice to the Comptroller-General of Customs accordingly.
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 also 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 July 31, 2026.”
To ensure proper dissemination, Zonal Coordinators, Area Controllers and Unit Heads were directed to circulate the lists to all affected officers.
Among those affected are Deputy Comptrollers-General Omale, Nnadi, Chiroma, Adeola MRS and Niagwan, alongside several Assistant Comptrollers-General and senior officers across different cadres.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Abejide Leke Joseph, said the retirements were statutory and not connected to reports surrounding the appointment of a new Comptroller-General of Customs.
In a statement on Sunday, Abejide 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,” he said.
The lawmaker attributed the large number of retirements to a prolonged recruitment gap in the Service.
“There is a 16-year gap of non-recruitment and stagnant promotion. As a result, officers of 41000, 42000 and 43000 service number categories have risen through the ranks almost simultaneously and now occupy similar levels of seniority,” Abejide said.
He explained that the situation had created a top-heavy structure within the Service, with many officers reaching retirement age or service limits around the same period.
Abejide disclosed that more than 1,500 officers were expected to retire under the provisions of Public Service Rule 100238, stressing that the exercise was a natural and legally mandated process rather than a consequence of any leadership succession arrangement.
Efforts to obtain a response 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.
President Bola Tinubu had on Friday 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 in a statement issued 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 Tinubu approved an additional six months to enable him to complete key reforms within the Customs Service.
Onanuga said the extension was granted to enable Adeniyi 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 with the Nigeria Customs Service Board to oversee critical personnel matters, including promotions and the compulsory retirement of officers who have attained 60 years of age or served 35 years in service.
Adeniyi joined the Nigeria Customs Service after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in the late 1980s and rose steadily through the ranks. He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012, was promoted to Comptroller in 2017, Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020, Acting Deputy Comptroller-General in January 2023 and was appointed Comptroller-General of Customs by President Tinubu in June 2023.
The six-month extension is expected to provide continuity for ongoing reforms within the Customs Service while paving the way for a smooth leadership transition.