Smugglers Kill Customs Officer, Injure Another in Ogun

ABIOLA Seun

Some months after smugglers kidnapped and killed an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at Sango, Ota axis of Ogun State, another officer of the Ogun State command of the service was on Sunday killed while another was injured in a battle with smugglers.

According to a Press Statement made available to journalists by the Public Relation Officer of the command, Abdullahi Maiwada for the Customs Area Controller, Michael Agbara said the officer was killed after an encounter with smugglers.

Maiwada who gave the name of the deceased officer as Hamisu Sani said another officer, Tijani John Michael was injured but was responding to treatment.

He said, “Officers of Nigeria Customs Service Ogun Command on routine patrol based on credible information at about 02:30 hours intercepted eight reconstructed vehicles fully loaded with smuggled rice and kept in a hideout at Asero Community.

“In an attempt to lawfully secure the said items, the smugglers and their accomplice ambushed the Officers in a deadly like manner.

“Unfortunately during the encounter, one of the Officers a Customs Assistant I Hamisu Sani sustained grievous injuries and paid the supreme price (died) in active Service. He has since been buried according to Islamic rites. Also, an Inspector of Customs Tijani John Michel sustained serious machete cut but is responding to treatment in the hospital.”

Meanwhile, the command PRO also disclosed that two suspects have however been arrested in connection with the death of the officer.

“Two suspects have been arrested by police and eight vehicles fully loaded with smuggled rice have been secured in connection with the incident at Customs House Abeokuta for further investigation.

“While we commend the patriotic role of our sister Agencies and law abiding citizens, we wish to categorically state that we will deploy all necessary apparatus to ensure that the perpetrators of this devilish act are brought to book to face the full wrath of the law.

“Finally, the reoccurrence of such form of hostilities and intimidation by smugglers and their accomplice on our Officers and Men will never distract us from vigorously discharging our statutory functions.”

It would be recalled that a Customs officer, Rasheed Abdulsalam, attached to the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Lagos was, kidnapped after a fierce clash with notorious smugglers.

Some of his colleagues also sustained varying degrees of injuries in the bloody anti-smuggling operation that occurred at night around Gateway Hotel, Ota, Ogun State.

It was learnt that the Customs operatives, upon receipt of intelligence report on smugglers movement, left their Federal Operations Unit headquarters and were accompanied by some soldiers in a bus and a Toyota Hilux van that was driven by the kidnapped officer, Abdulsalam.

But unknown to them, the smugglers had laid an ambush just after the popular ShopRite retail store, which is also very close to a filling station along the busy Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.