Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Anti-Smuggling operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Ogun State Command has once again encountered Smugglers over seized smuggled rice brought into the country.
This latest encounter is coming barely few months after the operatives had a similar attack from the smugglers whose main objective is to defraud and short change government in duty payment.
According to the statement the attitude of the tugs before mobilizing their supporting hoodlums poised for action who refused to be dispossessed of some vehicles intercepted laden with bags of foreign parboiled rice at Adisba, a settlement area after Owode Town.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASC1, Abdullahi Maiwada said that the vehicles were from Idiroko moving to towards Atan, carrying prohibited items suspected to have emanated from Adobo.
Maiwada emphasized that in an effort by the Ogun Command Anti-Smuggling operatives to successfully secure the products, the hoodlums angrily swooped on them to prevent the seizures being impounded.
He added that with the efforts of other sister agencies presence who quickly responded to their call, made the hoodlums to be overpowered.
He said that attack on officers of the service delivering their legitimate duty being ambushed are becoming too consistent, therefore call on Stakeholders with useful information to always notify the Authorities of suspected illegalities, saying that the new directive from the Comptroller General of the service, has mandated that no smuggler should be spared, even though those behind the smugglers are government officials.
He maintained that the Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Agbara Ojo Michael is not taking smuggling activities lightly, warning that anyone found culpable will not only be arrested but face matching order and the full arms of the law, because too many damages have been inflicted on his officers and men.
He said that with a careful study and analysis of the nature of the attack terrain in other to forestall more chaos to scuttle the protection of lives, the operatives tactically retreated to avoid any catuality that might hinder the success of the operation.
He disclosed that the arrival of the reinforcement including the sister teams brought the situation under control.
The statement further revealed that after the encounter, no casualty was recorded and that the Ogun Customs Anti-Smuggling operatives were able to secure the area to ensure law and order prevailed.
The Command Area Controller insisted that the war against smuggling activities will surely be won, even though the youths and the adults within the Communities refused to refrain from involving in illegalities at the Nigerian border posts, undermining the dangers associated with loosing their goods, their investments and arrested, warning that his officers and men won’t give any breathing space will frustrate their efforts untill they became tried of using his corridor, he assured.