One dies, soldier injured as Customs, smugglers’ clash in Ogun state
- Another clash between customs officer and alleged smugglers has occurred again in Ogun state
- One person was declared died while seven others were injured in the clash
- A similar incident occurred in the state late last year
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
A report by Punch newspaper indicates that a clash between smugglers and operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service in Ogun state has left one person dead.
According to the report, the clash occurred along the Sagamu Interchange/Abeokuta expressway in the southwest state.
No fewer than seven others were said to have been injured in the incident, among who were three customs officers and a soldier.
Source: Twitter
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
Trouble started when some traders conveying rice to Sagamu from Abeokuta on Tuesday, February 2 ran into customs operatives attached to the Federal Operations Unit, Ikeja, Lagos, who intercepted the goods.
A source quoted in the report said there was resistance from some hoodlums allegedly working with the suspected smugglers, leading to crossfire with the security operatives.
The customs officials were said to have called for reinforcement and were joined by soldiers in the gun battle.
When contacted, a spokesman for the FOU, Ikeja, Theophilus Duniya, described the incident as a mob attack on customs officers by hoodlums.
He said the wounded officers were receiving treatment, adding that investigation was ongoing to bring the perpetrators of the attack to book.
About a month ago, three persons were feared killed by stray bullets in Ayetoro, Yewa North local government area of Ogun state after men of the Nigeria Customs Service stormed the area following a tip-off of smuggling activities.
The stray bullets were allegedly fired by customs officers who stormed the area to evacuate the alleged smuggled bags of rice.
It was reported that one of the victims, simply identified as Sola, was allegedly shot while riding a motorcycle in the area.
Meanwhile, the Illela border in Sokoto state was on Tuesday, January 5, reopened by the Nigerian Customs Service.
The reopening ceremony was performed by the customs area controller in charge of the Sokoto/Zamfara command, Abdulhamid Ma’aji who reiterated that the federal government’s ban on rice importation into Nigeria was still in force.
Source: Legit.ng
