Smugglers clash with Ogun Customs  — abduct officer

Peter Olaniyi   |  

Daredevil smugglers yesterday attacked a team of officers and men of Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun  Command while on routine mobile patrol along Olorunlere village, near Alapoti, Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State after intercepting some vehicles loaded with bags of foreign parboiled rice.

According to a press statement by the Public relations officer of the command, Hammed Bukoye Oloyede, the suspected smugglers sensing their loss on sighting the patrol team while attempting to evade arrest,   started shooting sporadically at the Officers which resulted to serious exchange of fire between the two sides.

He informed that the patrol team consequently called for reinforcement but before the intervention from other units, the officers were overwhelmed due to the numeric strength of the smugglers/hoodlums.

In the ensuing commotion, the team tactically withdrew to enable the arrival of the reinforcements teams.

He explained that on the arrival of the military personnel and other units of Customs including Federal Operations Unit (FOU) as requested by the CAC, the hoodlums had already vandalised one of the official vehicles attached to the team.

It was later discovered that an official driver, CA I (T) Taiwo J Odeyemi was missing and has not been found at the time of sending the report.

He stated that in the light of the above, investigation is ongoing and effort is being made along with other security agencies and other critical stakeholders to locate the whereabouts of the missing officer and rescue him alive.

To this end, the CAC strongly warned smugglers and their supporters that the incessant attacks leave Officers with no other choice than to use appropriate force to deal with this new wave of criminal attacks on personnel performing their statutory functions.

“The Command is not deterred by this and will step up its offensive against those whose interests are to make profits at the expense of the best”

The CAC however vowed to ensure that those behind this attack face the full wrath of the law and justice.