Hyacinth Chinweuba
Customs operatives in Ogun state have come under serious attack from suspected smugglers.
According to spokesman of the Command, Hammed Oloyede, “On Tuesday, 1st September, 2020 at about 1545hours, Officers and Men of Nigeria Customs Service Ogun I Command, Crack team went on information patrol to Ukere village in Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun state.
They succeeded in Intercepting Twenty eight (28) bags of 50kg each of foreign parboiled rice smuggled with motorcycles. On their way out of the area of arrest, some unscrupulous elements suspected to be diehard smugglers in their numbers shot sporadically at Officers, threw broken bottles and also attacked with axes. Officers repelled the attacks and managed their way out of the area.
Unfortunately, one patriotic youth who was assisting the team in the evacuation of the seized items was hit by one of the thrown broken bottles and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he received medical attention. One of our official vehicles was equally pelted with bullets”
Oloyede, said the team gallantly succeeded in conveying the aforementioned items to the Government Warehouse for safe keeping and investigation is ongoing to fish out the perpetrators of this barbaric act.
Consequently, the Customs Area Controller (Comptroller Ojobo Michael Agbara) assured members of the public that the renewed hostilities by armed smugglers will not deter the Officers and Men of the Command from discharging their legitimate duties.
He appealed to parents and guardians to warn their children/wards to desist from being used by daredevil smugglers and that anyone caught in any nefarious activity will face the full wrath of the law.