One of the victims (Photo: Samson Folarin)
Latest news as some Nigerian Custom officers attached to the Federal Operations
Unit, who were chasing a smuggler who had fled into a Badagry, Lagos
community in Ajara Topa area, allegedly opened fire on some residents
and four people were hit by stray bullets including a motorcycle rider,
Alayoade Arewayo and one John Sonayo.
News according to reporters, Arewayo survived and was rushed to a
private hospital in Badagry, while Sonayo was said to have died in
transit from the Badagry General Hospital to the Lagos State University
Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. Two others whose names could not be
ascertained were reportedly taken to a hospital in Cotonou, Benin
Republic.
It was learnt that immediately the incident happened, the customs
officers fled the scene as they were said to have got reinforcement from
a military barracks in the area to forestall a mob attack.
Arewayo, who sustained a gunshot injury in the leg, said he was
returning from a church programme around 7.30pm on Saturday when he was
hit by a stray bullet.
“I had a crusade programme at Marina, Ebute area on that day. I
had left the place for home when it started raining. I decided to call
at a shop to buy noodles that I would take in the night.
“I had hardly dropped off my motorcycle, when I started hearing
sporadic gunshots; people were running helter-skelter. I thought it was
armed robbery. The people I wanted to buy noodles from had also taken
to their heels.
“As I fled for dear life, I was hit by a bullet in the leg. I
fell and was assisted to a hospital by my friend that was with me. It
was later I was told that four people were shot and one person later
died,” Arewayo said.
It was learnt that the customs officers neither went to the
community in their operational vehicle nor wore their uniforms. They
were reportedly led by one DSC Jude.
Speaking to a correspondent, David Taiwo, who is a resident of the
community, said he reported the incident at the Badagry Police Division
around 8.30pm, adding that the Divisional Police Officer assigned a
policeman to visit the scene of the shooting.
He said, “We discovered that the customs officers were from the
Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja; they were posted to Badagry. They
were not in their operational vehicle and they didn’t wear their
uniform. They came in a private car. They pursued a smuggler, who loaded
about eight bags of rice.
“To effect arrest, they started shooting sporadically. Four
innocent people were hit by bullets. One of them, John Sonayo, was taken
to the Badagry General Hospital, but he was referred to LASUTH. It was
on the way that he died. The family members of the other victims took
them to Cotonou for treatments. The victims were not smugglers.”
Taiwo said the customs officers ran to Ibereko Baracks to get
reinforcement against members of the community that had gathered to
attack them.
A community leader also revealed that no fewer than 10 residents
had been allegedly killed in 2016 by operatives of the Nigeria Customs
Service, adding that the officers usually harassed residents.
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