One person has been confirmed dead, on Tuesday afternoon, in a clash between operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and suspected rice smugglers at the Sagamu interchange.
It was also gathered that seven others, including three NCS operatives, a military officer and three smugglers were seriously injured.
Tribune Online learnt that customs operatives from the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), in Ikeja, Lagos, engaged the smugglers conveying foreign rice from Abeokuta to Sagamu.
The attempt by the Customs operatives to intercept the contraband were resisted by the smugglers which led to an exchange of gun duel.
The Customs operatives were said to have called for assistance from the military to engage the smugglers.
However, a source informed Tribune Online that those alleged to be smugglers are rice traders.
He said: “We buy rice from Abeokuta here and sell to our customers in Sagamu. Whenever we get our goods from here and when we see Customs on the road, we normally do bookings with them.
“But to my surprise this morning, after doing the booking, on our way going after Siun junction, another set of Customs intercepted our goods from the same office, Federal Operations Union (FOU).
“We were like ‘what happened? We met your people over there. What happened? The called soldiers for backup. Soldiers squat on the road and started shooting. Four people were injured.”
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The spokesperson of FOU, Theophilus Sunita, when contacted, said the action was a mob attack against NCS operatives.
He said the NCS operatives acted on intelligence and intercepted six vehicles loaded 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 crossfire that ensued, our operatives overpowered them and were able to evacuate three out of the intercepted vehicles to the warehouse,” he said.
Duniya said three Customs officers and a soldier sustained some bullet injuries from the attack, but silent on the death recorded.
He said the wounded officers are currently receiving treatment at our medical facility, while further investigation into bringing the perpetrators of the attack to the book has commenced.
Meanwhile, angry rice traders protested to the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, demanding the urgent intervention of the government on the activities of Customs operatives.
While addressing the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Tokunbo Talabi, said the government would look into the issue and finding a lasting solution to it.
He also assured that the medical bills of the four victims would be taken care of by the state government.
One dead, seven injured as customs, smugglers clash in Abeokuta