Outrage as Customs vehicle kills school pupil in Ogun

Abiola Seun |

The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday allegedly killed a student of Ojomo Community High School, Ihunbo, while conveying seized tokunbo vehicles.

The school located at Ihunbo town, Ipokia Local Government is a border town between Nigeria and Republic of Benin.

Speaking to journalists, a resident of the town, Rasheed Biliamin alleged that the secondary school students were killed by Customs officers.

Biliamin, who was furious about the recent incident, said Customs should be mandated to stay at the border and not roam around the town killing innocent Nigerians.

He said, “The live of an innocent boy has just been cut short by overzealous officers. They should be allowed to stay at the border and stop killing innocent Nigerians.”
Also speaking, Adeogun Emmanuel Adesola bemoaned the activities of the officers at the command.

Adeogun who also said secondary students were killed asked the federal government to restrict activities of the service to borders to stop avoidable deaths of Nigerians.

His words, “The youths of Ipokia local government had an Independence walk and wrote to all security agencies stationed in Ipokia. The men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) were informed but they refused to solidarize with us while all others showed respect and love by joining us even in the rain.

“The CG, Colonel Ali visited the border and refused to pay homage to the king also did not listen to the voice of the stakeholders who accommodated them. Now dare devil officers had shot down an innocent soul while shooting sporadically,” he lamented.

Speaking, the Public Relations Officer of the command, Abdullahi Maiwada said the incident was an accident.

According to him, the patrol vehicle of the service had an head on collision with a motorcycle (Okada) while conveying seized tokunbo vehicle.
She said, “They were conveying a tokunbo vehicle and in the process they had an accident. It was a collision with an Okada rider conveying some secondary school children.
“It wasn’t a stray bullet or pursue. It was an accident, it wasn’t a pursue they were moving on their own, it was an accident.”