Nigeria : Smugglers attack Customs officers, destroy patrol vehicle

The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Shallangwa Hassan Sule, the Co-ordinator, Customs headquarters Anti-smuggling Task-force, has condemned the brutal attack carried out by suspected smugglers, who also mobilised the youths from Kishi and Igbeti communities of Oyo/Osun Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), against Customs officers on duty. - Sule, said this during his visit to the Command. He stressed that the smugglers descended on officers of the Customs Task-force performing their legitimate duty, adding that the brutality, which left some officers bleeding on the spot and their patrol vehicle destroyed may be connected with Customs effort to curtail illegal border trades in the region. He said, “Task-force team had in the past weeks made it very difficult for smugglers in that axis to carry out their nefarious activities, hence they resorted to violence. This is with a view to intimidating the officers from carrying out their legitimate duty, but we want to assure them that we cannot be intimidated by these acts of violence. We shall continue to vigorously perform our duty and also restrain from the use of arms with respect to the sanctity of human lives. But I must warn that we shall not condone further acts of hooliganism to distract our operations”. He added, “I want to state here for records that this team, which was constituted by the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji   Dikko Inde Abdullahi, is a special Anti smuggling unit that is compact, fully kitted and staffed with highly trained and experienced officers. continued