The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, has lost one of its officers from attack by daredevil smugglers.
The Unit’s Public Relations Officer, Theophilus Duniya, who disclosed this yesterday in a press statement, revealed that the sad occurrence took place on Saturday, 11 September, 2021, at the Owode area of Ogun State.
TheFact Nigeria learns that the deceased Officer was an Assistant Inspector of Customs, a driver, who was killed during an operation after two vehicles loaded with smuggled foreign parboiled rice were seized and conveyed to Lagos.
According to Duniya, the suspected daredevil smugglers, ostensibly angered by the seizure of thier goods,came out in their number, and attacked the officer with arms, charms and stones when he stopped to fix a mechanical fault that had developed in one of the vehicles.
Condemning the dastardly act, the new Acting Comptroller of the Unit, Deputy Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, has directed investigations into the case.
According to him, “The killing will not deter FOU Zone A, under my leadership from carrying out our statutory functions in the interest of national security”.
He further stressed that seizures of smuggled items and arrest of suspects will be sustained, unless the perpetrators embrace a change of heart and embrace legitimate trades.
Meanwhile, the corpse of the deceased officer has been deposited in the mortuary while investigations have since begun.
Owode is about 20km to Idiroko, the Nigerian border with the Benin Republic.
