Just In: Smugglers Attack Customs in Lagos, Seize Rifle, Vehicle

• Despite heightened security at the nation’s land borders, rice smuggling activities still persist on a daily basis
• This time around, the smugglers are not relaxing as they have devised another means of carrying out their activities
• In what could be described as a heinous act, the smugglers in a recent move attacked a Customs Service team, injured an officer, and went away with his rifle and a vehicle

Lagos state - In the early hours of Friday, May 13, suspected smugglers attacked a Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) team around Oke-Odo, Lagos, fleeing with a service rifle and a vehicle laden with confiscated rice.

The Nation reports that the smugglers said to have outnumbered the Customs officials, ambushed the operatives while on their way to their office at Ikeja to drop the seized contrabands.

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Legit.ng gathered that the operatives had conducted a wee-hour operation where they intercepted and seized several bags of smuggled rice.

After the operation, smugglers attacked a customs officer

After the operation, one-armed operative and a driver were said to have been directed to take the recovered items to NCS Ikeja but were overpowered by the smugglers who allegedly regrouped.

A source stated:

“An officer was seriously injured and the smugglers went away with the vehicle containing the seized rice.

“They also went away with an officer’s gun. The Customs officers who fled came back with soldiers but to their shock, their vehicle was no longer there."

Police confirmed the development

Contacted, police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the incident.

He said:

“The Command is aware and we are joining hands with customs to fish out the criminals and recover the items. I cannot give you any other information. Our priority at the moment is to fish out the culprits and recover all items.”

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More trouble for smugglers as FG moves to reduce illegal importation of rice through land borders

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that as part of its diversification policy, the Federal Government has announced steps to curb rice smuggling in the country.

It was reported that FG has pledged continued collaboration with security agencies to reduce the illegal importation of rice through land borders.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, made the declaration at a meeting of the Steering Committee of the National Taskforce on the illegal importation of rice through land borders in Abuja.

Nigeria Customs Service reopens Illela land border in Sokoto state

In another report, the Illela border in Sokoto state was on Tuesday, January 5, reopened by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The reopening ceremony was performed by the customs area controller in charge of the Sokoto/Zamfara command, Abdulhamid Ma’aji, Premium Times reported.

He said the federal government’s ban on rice importation into Nigeria was still in force.

Source: Legit.ng