Idiroko, Ogun State:The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command, has confirmed that its personnel were attacked by suspected armed drug traffickers at Akokoro, Iwoye, in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area.
The incident underscores the growing security challenges along Nigeria’s border communities, where Customs officers continue to confront smuggling and illicit trafficking activities.
Mr Zakaria Chado, the Command’s Spokesperson, confirmed the attack by suspected armed smugglers in a statement on Sunday in Idiroko.
Chado said the incident occurred while officers of the command, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a 12-tyre truck suspected of conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs and other prohibited items.
The spokesman stated that attackers critically injured two personnel on Thursday at about 4:00 p.m.
He added that, before reinforcement teams arrived, the suspects mobilized a large number of armed hoodlums and launched a coordinated attack on the patrol team.
The attackers deliberately mounted heavy barricades at about nine strategic points to block access routes and prevent timely reinforcement.
They opened fire on the officers and shot at the tyres of a Customs patrol vehicle, disabling it and creating a volatile operational environment.
During the exchange, gunmen shot and critically injured two Nigeria Customs Service officers, who are now receiving intensive medical care.
The smugglers exploited the multiple barricades and fled the scene with the intercepted truck.
“Investigation has commenced to identify, track, and apprehend all those involved in the attack, ” Chado said.
Mr Olukayode Afeni, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller, condemned the act as barbaric and reaffirmed that such violent resistance would not deter the Command or the Service from discharging its mandate of combating smuggling and ensuring national security.
Afeni called on traditional rulers and community leaders within the Command’s area of responsibility to caution their subjects against smuggling and attacks on security personnel, warning that offenders would face the full wrath of the law.
The Area Comptroller assured law-abiding members of the public of their safety and reiterated the NCS’s unwavering commitment to border security, public health, and the enforcement of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
