Customs, smugglers clash in Ogun claims one life

At least one person was feared dead when men of Nigeria Customs and smugglers clashed on Tuesday at the Toll Gate area of Sango in Ado-Odo/Ota area of Ogun State.

The bloody clash, it was learnt, erupted when hoodlums believed to be smugglers ambushed convoy of the Customs conveying seized 45 bags of rice and 258 cartons of frozen turkey, alleged to have been smuggled through the Republic of Benin.

The hoodlums, who were said to have been irked by the killing of the victim whose identity could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, stormed the Customs check point at Atan area along Sango-Idi Iroko road, and set two vehicles belonging to the Customs and a civilian ablaze and destroying the check point.

Confirming the incident to our correspondent on phone, Public Relations Officer Ogun State command of Nigeria Customs, Abdulahi Aliyu Maiwada, said the Federal Operating Unit from Ikeja in Lagos State, had intercepted and seized two vehicles loaded with bags of rice and cartons of turkey in Sango area and they were ambushed at the Toll Gate area on their way to Customs warehouse in Lagos.

He stated further that the smugglers, driving a Mazda car with registration number KTU 504 AM and an unregistered Passat car, were transporting 45 bags of rice and 258 cartons of turkey respectively when they were intercepted by the FOU team.

The PRO confirmed the death of one person but said who fired the shot that killed the victim was yet to be established, saying the hoodlums were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons.

He, however, said that the customs operatives were able to transport the seized goods to the warehouse in Ikeja.

“The clash at the Toll Gate was as a result of some hoodlums we believed to be smugglers, who waylaid FOU team on its way to Ikeja and launched a surprise attack on the team. In the melee that ensued, one person was confirmed dead but where the shot that killed him came from is yet to be ascertained.

“The team had intercepted two vehicles loaded with contraband – 45 bags of rice and 258 cartons of turkey and the mob attacked them probably to prevent them from taking the goods to Ikeja. When their ambush fell through, the hoodlums stormed our check point at Atan and set three vehicles belonging to customs and a civilian in the area”, Maiwada submitted.