Razaq Bamidele
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has explained the cause of the clash between its personnel and smugglers, last Friday, May 8, at about 19:30hours at Ilashe village in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
After the dust settled, one officer of the Customs service was found seriously wounded while five suspects were reportedly arrested in connection with the fracas.
Public Relations Officer for Customs Area Controller, Ogun 1 Area Command, Abdullah A. Maiwada, in a statement, narrated in details how the clash occurred.
According to him, officers and men of Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Command, that fateful day went on information patrol to Ilashe village in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun state when the unfortunate incident happened.
During operation, Maiwada said, they intercepted 35 bags of smuggled parboiled rice of 50kg each ferried by a convoy of motorcyclists (popularly known as okada).
On their way out of the area, he claimed that the diehard smugglers mobilised themselves in an overwhelming number, launched a vicious attack with assorted weapons on Officers performing their lawful duties.
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In an effort to repel the attack and avoid bloodshed, however, one Customs officer, Assistant Superintendent Chidi Johnson, was brutally matcheted, sustaining deep cuts in various parts of his body!
The seriously-wounded Officer, the spokesperson said, was immediately rushed to the hospital for medical attention, thanking God and I that luckily the injure officer is responding to treatment.
To this end, five suspects have been reportedly “arrested in connection with the incident and are currently undergoing interrogation,” Maiwada informed.
“It is instructive to note that Friday (08/05/2020) was a date set aside for total lockdown in Ogun state due to the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We find it unfortunate and strange, that the daredevil smugglers who have no regards for laws of the land or the disease ravaging the global community resorted to crossing the border through illegal routes to perpetrate such nefarious activites in total disregard of the health and economic well being of Nigerians,” he lamented.
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Against this background, the concerned PRO therefore seized the opportunity to enjoin the faceless unpatriotic smuggling cartels to stop using uninformed youths as cannon fodders in their nefarious trade.
“We also challenge them to bring their own biological children to attack personnel of the Service and have a taste of the consequences of such act,” he warned.
Concluding, Maiwada prayed, “may God heal our land and restore the peace we seek.”