Disengagement fever has gripped the Customs High Command as rumours of mass layoff are making the rounds.
The planned disengagement is expected to take place before the third quarter of the year.
Though a number of men and officers have been retiring from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the years, the present number of men and officers slated for disengagement is said to be “unprecedented”.
Impeccable sources at NCS Headquarters, Abuja told THISDAY that nearly 1000 personnel would be disengaged from the service before the end of this year.
Though the development was not a surprise to the affected men and officers as they were said to have been notified since last year but it was gathered that fear gripped the affected personnel when they realized the terminal date of their leaving the service is at hand.
Giving an insight into the retirement of the 765 men and officers, the service in its 2014 Statutory Retirement List for Officers and Men, said the exercise was hinged on “statutory retirement by length of service/age”
Those affected include 12 Comptrollers, 20 Deputy Comptrollers, and 27 Assistant Comptrollers.
Also to go are 27 Chief Superintendents, 56 Deputy Superintendents and 40 Assistant Superintendents 1, while the start-off rank for commissioned officers- Assistant Superintendents II- recorded 31.
Similarly, there are 23 in senior non-commissioned officers or inspectorate cadre, 43 Deputy Chief Inspectors, 95 Assistant Chief Inspectors, 104 Principal Inspectors, 125 Senior Inspectors, 79 Inspectors, and 19 Assistant Inspectors.
Also affected are 19 Chief Customs Assistants, 10 Senior Customs Assistants, 5 Customs Assistants I, and one Customs Assistant II.
Meanwhile, the deployment of top officers which has been the hallmark of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi led management team has hit NCS once again.
In the latest development, no fewer than eight Assistant Comptrollers (ACGs), and 22 Comptrollers have been redeployed.
Abdullahi was said to have ordered the redeployment because some of the affected officers failed to meet their revenue targets.
Some of the officers, sources said, were queried in March for failing in their duties.
Sources said the decision of the Customs boss informed by the fact that he was not satisfied with their responses besides the need to inject in fresh blood into the service so as to boost NCS operations across the country.
