Group Accuses Ogun Customs Command Over Alleged Incessant Killings Of Citizens

The Ogun West Liberation Movement has expressed worries over the alleged incessant killings of citizens by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service , Ogun State Command, saying students, artisans and young girls are being  hit by bullets on a  weekly basis.

 

The group lamented that there are un reported cases of customs shooting of innocent lives within the region adding  that most of the alleged killings happened within the communities and not at the border posts where smuggling activities thrive.

 

 

The Ogun West Liberation Movement is a sociol-political pressure group with membership cut across Ogun West.

 

 

 

 

Secretary of the group, Comrade Kehinde Akinlade, in a chat over the weekend , raised concerns over issues of unskilled personnel of customs with guns,  thus without professional abilities on the usage.

 

Akinlade noted that there are countless unreported cases of killings by customs operatives within the region, calling on the state government and lawmakers to intervene to end the anomalies.

 

 

“Now the Extra-judicial killings by men and officers of the Nigeria Customs has become incessant. Almost every week now customs men shoot to death people of Ogun West under the guise of raising smugglers warehouses located in built up areas

 

“Shockingly, these killings do not happen at the borders points. They happen in our towns far away from the international borders.

 

 

Highlighting number of people killed, the scribe stated that “Between last week and this week, one person was kllled in Ilaro and two in Ayetoro. Both are local government headquarters far from the border. In Ayetoro, there were many that were injured and shooting took place for a long period of time.

 

“In Ihunbo in this same year (2020), a secondary school student who was coming from school was hit by customs men chasing smugglers.

 

“In Idiroko, a girl was shot earlier in the year. She died and she had nothing to do with smugglers. This year also in Joga Orile, a boy was shot dead at Customs checkpoint in the town. They claim he was a smuggler.

 

 

“I think this year also in Oke Odan town the forcefully entered a compound and began their sporadic shooting which led to the death of an artisan.

 

 

“It is not about this group only, countless number of Ogun West groups and individuals including monarchs have engaged the authority of the Customs. There have been meeting, both at their end and at venues within the communities of Ogun West.

 

“ust yesterday December 30th , in Abeokuta, the National Youths Council of Nigeria Ogun State chapter under the leadership of Comrade Abduljabar Ayelaagbe went on a peaceful protest to the governor’s office at Okemosan to get the state government to take actions against the killing of our people.

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” I have to give it to the state government that they have not been sitting down watching. When the killings in Ayetoro happened. The Special Adviser to the state governor on Youths, Comrade Lamide Lawal was despatched to Ayetoro to see things for himself and I do know that the governor has in time past spoke against the killings.

 

 

Speaking on the protest recently, he said “Despite the fact that the issues affects the people big Ogun West more, there was a  large turnout of youths from across the state that came in solidarity with with the youths of Ogun West.

 

 

“We have just done a protest to the governor’s office. That is a step higher than what we have been doing before. Quite a number of groups have issued statements about the heartlessness of the men and officers of the Customs service. We want to see what will follow that.

 

” If the killings continue then of course we will sit down and design next line of actions. We do know that they are aware that we have taken things higher than we have ever done on the matter with the protest to the office of the governor.

 

“They should know that the ugly business will not be as usual again. We are peace loving people, we are not supportive of economic crime but we will no longer sit down with arms folded up and be watching out people being sacrificed for the incompetence of the customs.

 

 

“Let us ask the question, what are they looking at when contrabands move across the international border deep into Nigeria territories

 

 

 

 

 

He alleged that: “They are the ones that are collecting bribes along all routes into the nation and they are the ones that will still come and be shooting innocent people in the name of  seizures.

 

“When the border was to be closed, the FG inaugurated a joint task force of police, the army, customs and others paramilitary forces. How can you have such a team and contrabands are still moving in broad daylight deep into Nigeria.

 

 

 

 

 

He called on the Federal Government to compel the service to ensure smugglers are prosecuted , pointing out that the criminals are to be stopped,  and engaged within the border post and not within the communities.

 

“We want a customs service that will make arrest and prosecute offenders. It is not right for them to be shooting in built up areas and it is about time that smugglers are stopped at border points not within towns far from the border. In saner climes, deterrent is the best form of stopping crimes. It cost less. Here the customs allow the crime to have been committed before they move in killing the innocent.

 

“Let us ask the question, has anyone heard that a smuggler was jailed or prosecuted in any court of law. They have intelligence arm that sniffs out locations where rice are kept, why can’t they wait and make arrest? Why do always allow the smugglers to escape into thin air before they come with their sporadic shootings?

 

 

By Roland Ekama