Nigeria, Oct. 23 -- The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has called on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to suspend its ongoing recruitment exercise over alleged violations of federal character principles.

Abdulwasiu Bawa-Allah, chairman of the FCC Financial Services Committee, made the call during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, saying the commission was not invited to monitor the recruitment exercise.

Bawa-Allah said the allegations required thorough investigation, adding that the commission's correspondence to the NCS over its concerns had been ignored.

He expressed concern over the impact of the recruitment process on affected applicants, some of whom he said had resigned from their jobs, trained replacements and incurred...