Oko-Afo Shooting: Customs Vow Sanctions for Officers Found Culpable
… Launches investigation
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has vowed to impose disciplinary and legal sanctions on any officer found to have acted outside the law or established operational procedures during the shooting incident in Oko-Afo, Badagry, Lagos State, which claimed one life and left two others injured.
The Service has also launched a full-scale investigation into the incident, which occurred on Monday evening near Oko-Afo Bus Stop, beside Oyobo Filling Station, during an anti-smuggling operation involving Customs operatives and military personnel.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the operatives were pursuing a commercial bus suspected of conveying three bags of smuggled rice when gunshots were fired after the driver allegedly attempted to evade arrest.
The operatives reportedly chased the vehicle into a nearby street, triggering panic as residents, traders and motorists fled for safety.
During the incident, a resident was allegedly shot in the chest and later died at a nearby hospital. Two other persons, including a trader who sustained a gunshot wound to the arm, were also reportedly injured. The injured trader is currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Badagry.
The incident was reported at the Morogbo Police Station. However, the family of the deceased reportedly declined police advice to deposit the body in a morgue for further investigation, opting instead for immediate burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Reacting to the incident, the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, said the Service had commenced a comprehensive investigation to establish the sequence of events and determine whether its rules of engagement were adhered to.
Maiwada stressed that the NCS maintains zero tolerance for the unprofessional or reckless use of firearms, warning that any officer found to have acted unlawfully or outside approved operational procedures would face appropriate disciplinary measures as well as possible legal prosecution.
He appealed to members of the public to remain calm and assured that the findings of the investigation would be made public upon its conclusion.
