Customs Patrol Team Allegedly Shoots One Dead, Injures Two in Oko Afo
Tragedy struck at Oko Afo, along the Badagry Expressway in Lagos State, on Monday when a military personnel attached to a Nigeria Customs Service patrol team allegedly opened fire on an 18-seater Mazda bus, killing a bystander and injuring two others.
An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Binabo, told Brzneson Media that the bus had stopped at the Oko Afo bus stop to drop off passengers, unaware that it was allegedly being trailed by the Customs patrol team.
According to the eyewitness, immediately the patrol team arrived at the scene, the military personnel attached to the team alighted from the vehicle and allegedly opened fire, hitting three persons. One of the victims reportedly died on the spot, while two others sustained gunshot injuries.
The incident threw the Oko Afo community and its environs into panic as residents, commuters and traders fled for safety.
A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, condemned what he described as the operational tactics of some personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service and military officers attached to anti-smuggling patrols.
“At times, they chase suspected smugglers into residential communities, exposing innocent residents to danger. Incidents like this are the unfortunate consequences of such operations,” the community leader said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Customs Service had not issued an official statement on the incident, while the identities of the deceased and the injured victims had yet to be confirmed. Authorities are also yet to provide details on the circumstances that led to the shooting.
