Pandemonium broke out in Kaduna on Thursday, when car dealers and Customs officials clashed leading to setting an official vehicle of the Customs ablaze by the dealers.
But for the timely intervention of the Kaduna State security outfit, code-named ‘Operation Yaki’, the state capital would have been thrown into another bout of crisis.
The incident which took place along the Rabah Road, in Kaduna North Local Government, occurred at about 3:00 p.m., when Customs officials had gone on patrol to impound vehicles without import duties from car dealers in the city.
At about 4:00 p.m., men of the Kaduna State Fire Service were still trying to put off the fire on the patrol vehicle.
Motorists and other road users as well as passersby scampered for safety while security operatives from the ‘Operation Yaki’ outfit cordoned off the area.
An eyewitness told Tribune Online that the Customs officials had gone to an unnamed car dealers showroom around the Isa Kaita road area, also in the metropolis, to impound about six luxury vehicles which they claimed had no import duties.
However, according to the eyewitness, on getting to the showroom, the Customs officials who were few in numbers, sensed there could be danger, decided to go back for reinforcement.
At this juncture, it the eye witness said the car dealers decided “to go and hide some of the vehicles, but the Customs officials were able to tow away four of the luxury vehicles.”
After going away with the vehicles, the Custom officials were said to have come back to impound more vehicles, it was at this point, the car dealers mobilised and gave the officials a hot chase.
The eyewitness said:”The Custom officials had gone to Issa Kaita road to impound vehicles without import duties from an unknown car showroom. They succeeded in impounding four of the vehicles but came back to tow the remaining two.
“As they took the remaining two, the car dealers mobilised and gave them a hot chase. Luck ran against the Customs driver as the dealers caught up with him, dragged him down and set the patrol vehicle on fire.”
Efforts to reach the officials of the Customs and Excise was futile as an official who did not want his names in print told our correspondent that agency would brief the press later.”