4 Custom officers injured in an attack with smugglers

Four operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command, have been injured during one of the service’s operations against suspected smugglers.

It was gathered that the command seized eight tokunbo vehicles during the operations, including a Toyota Hilux, in communities in the Idiroko border area.

The Controller of the Idiroko Border Area Command, Sani Madugu, stated this on Thursday at the command’s Idiroko border office while reviewing the service’s activities in one week.

According to him, other smuggled vehicles impounded were Toyota Tundra, Toyota Hybrid Prius, Toyota Sienna, Volkswagen Golf 3, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Hilux.

He said the operatives were attacked when they went to a village along the border route to seize a Toyota Hilux hidden there by smugglers.

Madugu said the smugglers, on sighting the operatives, started hurling stones and other objects at them, adding that in the process, four customs operatives were injured.

He said, “We had an intelligence report that a Toyota Hilux smuggled into the country from the Republic of Benin was hidden in a village along the border route.

“When our operatives got there to recover the smuggled vehicle, the smugglers started hurling stones at them.

“In the process, four operatives were injured, while the operational vehicle was damaged. Two of the operatives are still receiving treatment in a hospital, while the other two have been discharged.

“Investigation is still on. We will get all those who were involved.”

Madugu also said that within one week, no fewer than 1,479 bags of rice, 78 jerrycans of 25-litre vegetable oil and nine other vehicles used as the means of conveyance were seized.

He said the duty payable value of the seizures was N84.06m.