…Five suspects arrested***
Rice Smugglers operating on commercial motorcycles taking advantage of the total lockdown in Ogun State Friday evening ran into a brick wall of hawk-eyed Customs Operatives and immediately drew blood.
Five of the daring smugglers were allegedly arrested.
The Ogun State Customs Command Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada who disclosed this said they numbered about 35 and the incident occurred at Ilashe village in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun state, around 19.30hours on Friday, 8th May, 2020.
Maiwada noted that during the anti-smuggling encounter, “one officer of the Customs, Assistant Superintendent Chidi Johnson was brutally macheted, sustaining deep cuts in various parts of his body”.
“The seriously wounded Officer was immediately rushed to the hospital for medical attention, and luckily he is responding to treatment”, the Customs Command Spokesman said further.
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“They Intercepted 35 bags of smuggled parboiled rice of 50kg each ferried by a convoy of motorcyclists (popularly known as okada).
“On their way out of the area, the diehard smugglers mobilised themselves in an overwhelming number, launching a vicious attack with assorted weapons on Officers performing their lawful duties”, Maiwada stated, noting that the operatives refrained from using their guns to avoid spilling avoidable blood.
He expressed shock that “Friday (08/05/2020) was a date set aside for total lockdown in Ogun state due to the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We find it unfortunate and strange, that the daredevil smugglers who have no regards for laws of the land or the disease ravaging the global community resorted to crossing the border through illegal routes to perpetrate such nefarious activities in total disregard of the health and economic well being of Nigerians”, he further explained, and enjoined the smuggling cartels to stop using uninformed youths as cannon fodders in their nefarious trade.
“We challenge them to bring their own biological children to attack personnel of the Service and have a taste of the consequences of such act”, Maiwada concluded.
