….Two personnel critically injured as smugglers escape with seized truck
….NCS vows crackdown, urges communities to shun attacks on security agents
Suspected armed drug traffickers on Thursday attacked operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun I Area Command, during an enforcement operation in Akokoro, Iwoye area of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Sunday in Idiroko by its spokesperson, Mr Zakaria Chado.
According to the statement, the attack occurred at about 4:00 p.m. when Customs officers, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a 12-tyre truck suspected to be conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs and other prohibited items.
Chado disclosed that before reinforcement teams could arrive, the suspects mobilised a large number of armed hoodlums who launched a coordinated assault on the patrol team.
“In a deliberate attempt to obstruct law enforcement, the attackers mounted heavy barricades at about nine strategic locations, effectively blocking access routes and preventing timely reinforcement,” he said.
He added that the assailants opened fire on the officers and disabled a Customs patrol vehicle by shooting at its tyres, creating a highly volatile and dangerous operational environment.
“During the exchange, two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service sustained gunshot injuries and are currently in critical condition, receiving intensive medical care,” Chado stated.
He said the smugglers exploited the multiple barricades to flee the scene with the intercepted truck.
Chado noted that investigations had commenced to identify, track and apprehend all those involved in the attack.
Reacting, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, condemned the incident, describing it as barbaric and unacceptable.
Afeni reaffirmed that violent resistance would not deter the Command or the Service from carrying out its statutory mandate of combating smuggling and safeguarding national security.
He called on traditional rulers and community leaders within the Command’s area of responsibility to caution their subjects against engaging in smuggling and attacks on security personnel, warning that offenders would face the full wrath of the law.
The Area Controller assured law-abiding members of the public of their safety and reiterated the NCS’s unwavering commitment to border security, public health, and the enforcement of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
