Harboursandport.com: Lagos - Hoodlums suspected to be smugglers on Tuesday attacked and wounded three officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) in Lagos.
The officers who were on anti-smuggling patrol on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway were attacked and wounded at dawn.
According to a press statement made available to newsmen by the Public
Relations Officer, Zone A of the unit, Theophilus Duniya, three customs officer
and a military officer attached to the patrol team sustained various degree of
bullet wounds.
He stated that the officers had intercepted six vehicles laden with
smuggled rice before they were attacked by the hoodlums.
He said, "Some officers of Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ of
Nigeria Customs Service suffered an attack by hoodlums working with smugglers.
"At about 0600 hours of Tuesday 2nd February 2021. Officers of the
Unit, while carrying out their statutory duty of enforcing anti-smuggling laws;
acted on intelligence and intercepted six vehicles laden with foreign parboiled
rice at Abeokuta Express Way."
"Upon the interception, some armed hoodlums working in
support of smugglers swiftly mobilized themselves and attacked our officers in
their bid to prevent the seizure from being taken away. However, in the cross
fire that ensued, our operatives overpowered them and were able to evacuate
three out of the intercepted vehicles to the warehouse."
"Three Customs officers and a soldier sustained some bullet
injuries from the attack. The wounded officers are currently receiving
treatment at our medical facility, while further investigation into bringing
the perpetrators of the attack to book has commenced."
Duniya however that the acting Customs Area Controller, Compt. Usman
Yahaya has warned smugglers against attacking officers of law on duty of
protecting the nation's economy.
According to the CAC, youths should desist from being used by economic
saboteurs to confront operatives of the Service from carrying out their lawful
duties.
"The Ag. Controller is very concerned about the injuries
inflicted on the officers which were totally avoidable if only the youths were
patriotic enough to know that the officers were just performing their lawful
duties. He also cautioned the youths to reject being used by economic
saboteurs to confront operatives of the Service from carrying out their lawful
duties.
"DC Usman Yahaya, while thanking the law-abiding citizens for
supporting our operations also warned people with criminal intentions to
immediately desist from such because officers/men of the Unit are well
mobilized, backed up by the extant laws and shall remain resolute at enforcing
the laws without fear of intimidation," he said.
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