Nigeria Customs Service To Sack Newly-recruited Officers

The Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS) is set to sack hundreds of its newly-recruited officers for sundry irregularities uncovered in their employment.
The officers were recruited under questionable circumstances by the administration of the immediate past Comptroller General; Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi Inde.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that some of the illegally engaged officers are already posted to various commands and some of them have been there for about two years. They were employed between 2014 and 2015.
Our findings revealed that, while some were employed even while still undergoing the mandatory National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC).
Another category of officers were discovered to have gained employment with fake certificates, while some reportedly tendered unverifiable certificates.
Shipping Position Daily findings further revealed that these officers did not pass through the Customs training college before they were given employment letters, uniforms and were subsequently deployed.
Shipping Position Daily gathered last week that the current Customs management, under Col Hameed Ali (rtd) has uncovered the irregularities and has already commenced action. It is however being cautious because of the calibre of the parents or sponsors of the affected officers.
It was confirmed that the Comptroller-General of the Service is under pressure not sack the affected officers.
But, a senior officer told our correspondent that a similar illegal recruitment exercise was uncovered at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS). He added that officers who were employed through the back door in the two agencies have since been disengaged.
One of our correspondents met with one of the embattled officers in one of the Customs commands in Lagos. He denied being employed illegally.
He (names withheld) also claimed to have been interviewed and duly-employed. When asked if he attended the training college, he answered in the affirmative, and sought to know why Shipping Position Daily was singling him out for inquisition.
He however blamed the predicament of the last batch of recruits into the Nigeria Customs Service on the ‘Nigerian mentality’ of painting every immediate past administration in bad light. He confirmed that he was duly employed about one year ago under the regime of the immediate past CG of Customs; Diko Abdulahi Inde.
When contacted, the National Public Relations Officer of Customs; Mr Wale Adeniyi (a Deputy Comptroller) confirmed that certain irregularities have been discovered in the last recruitment into the Service.
He confirmed that some were discovered to have medical issues; some came in with fake certificates, while some did not attend any of the Customs Training Colleges.
He confirmed that, “in the process of verification, it was discovered that some of them were still undergoing the NYSC, some have fake and unverifiable certificates. Some were even discovered to be involved in drugs. Those affected officers were given a time frame to come for verification”.
“Management is not and will not be under any pressure from any quarters as the exercise is progressing smoothly”
“At the end of the exercise, some of them will be retrained and absorbed into the Service”, he assured.