ABUJA – A retirement bombshell has hit the Nigeria Customs Service, with 1,516 officers—including five Deputy Comptrollers-General—scheduled to exit the service between 2026 and 2027. Internal circulars show 825 officers retiring this year and 691 next year, cutting across all cadres. The House Committee on Customs chairman attributed the mass exodus to a 16-year recruitment gap, creating a top-heavy structure where many officers reach retirement age simultaneously. President Tinubu’s recent six-month extension for Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi is aimed at managing the transition and completing key reforms.
