Riot as customs allegedly kill man in Owode Ogun State

At least, one person has been shot dead by an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) at Owode Yewa area of Ogun State, as many sustained various degrees of injuries.



The death was as a result of the fracas that broke out between some suspected smugglers and officers of the NCS around 2 am on Monday.

The situation, it was learnt, has generated protest from people of the area.

The killing is coming barely two weeks after three students of Ojumo Community High School were reportedly killed, while market women were injured when Customs officers were conveying a ‘tokunbo’ vehicle they said was smuggled into the country.

Ihunbo is a few kilometres from Owode, the scene of Monday’s incident.

But the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Command, said the officer who fired the shot acted in “self-defence”.

A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said officers of the NCS had earlier seized some ‘prohibited items’ from the suspected smuggler, who he said took to his heels.

According to Maiwada, the suspected smuggler later came with his ‘mobilized compatriots’ to attack armed Customs officers.