One dead, several Injured as hoodlums attack Customs in Ogun

Abiola Seun |

A yet to be identified smuggler has reportedly died during an attack on Customs officers by suspected hoodlums in Ayetoro Community of Ogun State with three anti -smuggling operatives sustaining various degrees of injuries.

Customs Public Relations Officer for Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Theophilus Duniya disclosed in a press statement that the officers were attacked while trying to effect seizures of six buses laden with foreign parboiled rice suspected to have been smuggled.

Duniya, a Deputy Superintendent of Customs , said the hoodlums were acting in connivance with the smugglers and attempted preventing customs officers from leaving with the seizures.

He added that they succeeded in taking the suspected smuggled rice and vehicles used in carrying them away to the customs warehouse.

For the umpteenth time, some Customs officers serving in the Federal Operations Unit Zone A of Nigeria Customs Service, suffered an attack by hoodlums working with smugglers.

“At about 800 hours of Tuesday 22nd December, 2020. Officers of FOU Zone ‘A’, while carrying out their statutory duty of enforcing anti-smuggling laws; acted on intelligence and intercepted six Ford buses laden with foreign parboiled rice at Kikelomo area of Ayetoro – Ogun State.

“Upon the interception, some hoodlums who were armed with dangerous weapons and charms while working in support of smugglers swiftly mobilized themselves and attacked our officers in their bid to prevent the seizure from being taken away.

“Three Customs officers sustained various degrees of injuries from the attack. In the pandemonium that ensued, one person was hit by a bullet in the process of resistance.

“The wounded officers are currently receiving treatment at our medical facility while further investigation into bringing the perpetrators of the attack to book has commenced.

“The Ag. Controller is very concerned about the loss of live and the serious injuries inflicted on the officers which was totally avoidable if only the youths were patriotic enough to know that the officers were just performing their lawful duties”.

He also cautioned the youths to reject being used by economic saboteurs to confront operatives of the Service from carrying out their lawful duties.

Normalcy has since returned to the area through combined efforts of officers of the Service and the Nigerian Army.

DC Usman Yahaya, while thanking the law abiding citizens for supporting our operations, also warned people with criminal intentions to immediately desist from such because officers/men of the Unit are well mobilized, backed up by the extant laws and shall remain resolute at enforcing the laws without fear of intimidation.