…Officers injured, in critical condition as truck escapes
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun I Area Command, has confirmed that two of its officers were critically injured on Thursday following an armed attack by suspected drug traffickers during an anti-smuggling operation in Ogun State.
The incident occurred at Akokoro area of Iwoye in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area at about 4pm, when Customs officers, acting on what the Service described as credible intelligence, intercepted a 12-tyre truck suspected to be carrying a large consignment of illicit drugs and other prohibited items.
According to the Command, before reinforcement teams could reach the scene, the suspects mobilised armed hoodlums and launched a coordinated assault on the patrol team, turning the operation into what officials described as a volatile and dangerous encounter.
The attackers were said to have mounted heavy barricades at nine strategic points along access routes to prevent support from arriving in time.
In the process, they opened fire on the officers and shot out the tyres of a Customs patrol vehicle, effectively disabling it.
Two officers sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving intensive medical care, while the suspects reportedly escaped with the intercepted truck, taking advantage of the multiple barricades mounted around the area.
Reacting to the incident, the Acting Customs Area Controller of Ogun I Command, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and a direct challenge to law enforcement.
He said the Command had commenced investigation to identify, track and apprehend all those involved, stressing that violent resistance would not deter the Service from carrying out its statutory mandate to combat smuggling and safeguard national security.
Afeni also called on traditional rulers and community leaders within the Command’s area of responsibility to caution their subjects against smuggling and attacks on security personnel, warning that offenders would face the full weight of the law.
He assured law-abiding members of the public of their safety and reiterated the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to border security, public health and the enforcement of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
The Command urged members of the public to support its operations with timely and credible information to aid the fight against smuggling and related crimes.
