BREAKING: ONE KILLED AS CUSTOMS OPERATIVES CLASH WITH SMUGGLERS IN OGUN

ONE KILLED AS CUSTOMS OPERATIVES CLASH WITH SMUGGLERS IN OGUN


One person has been confirmed dead following a gun duel between operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and suspected smugglers along the Alapoti bush path in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The incident occurred on Saturday, January 31, 2026, during a routine anti-smuggling patrol conducted by officers of the Ogun I Area Command, Idiroko, according to the Customs authorities.

In a statement issued late Saturday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Zakari Chado, Customs operatives intercepted a convoy of motorcycles conveying smuggled foreign parboiled rice at about 6:00 a.m.

Chado said the officers successfully seized 46 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, which were loaded into a patrol vehicle as the team withdrew from the area.

However, while exiting the bush path, the operatives were allegedly ambushed by a large mob, suspected to be smugglers and their accomplices, who attempted to forcibly recover the seized items.

According to the statement, the attackers were armed with dane guns, stones, bottles, and charms, and launched what was described as a coordinated and unprovoked assault on the patrol team.

“The officers maintained composure and repelled the attack after an intense confrontation that lasted about 30 minutes,” Chado said.

During the exchange, one of the assailants sustained injuries and later died, while a suspect who claimed ownership of the seized rice was arrested and is currently under investigation, the command confirmed.

The Customs spokesperson noted that the incident occurred barely a week after suspected drug traffickers attacked Customs operatives at Akokoro area of Iwoye in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area, where two officers sustained life-threatening injuries and are still receiving medical treatment.

Chado said the recurring attacks on Customs personnel are linked to the command’s intensified anti-smuggling operations, which have led to significant seizures of arms, ammunition, narcotics, and other prohibited goods within the area.

Reacting to the incident, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Ogun I Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, strongly condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric and a direct assault on the rule of law.”

Afeni warned that such acts of violence would not deter the command from carrying out its statutory duties, stressing that all those involved would be identified and prosecuted.

He also reassured law-abiding residents of the command’s commitment to public safety and strict enforcement of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

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