There was pandemonium in Abeokuta, on Wednesday when an official of the Nigeria Customs Service shot and killed a taxi driver at Kobape town in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State for allegedly carrying three bags of rice prohibited by the Federal Government.
It was learnt that the deceased taxi driver, simply identified as Taofik, was carrying three contraband bags of rice from the Kuto Garage to the Owode market, when the officials of the Customs service chased his vehicle and shot him to death.
Following the incident, some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state gathered around Quarry Road in Abeokuta to carry out a protest to the state command headquarters of the customs, causing traffic gridlock as motorists were not allowed to ply the road.
It took the efforts of security operatives, who stormed the scene, to maintain law and order.
A member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Idowu Olowofuja, said that he came to the state office of the customs to see the controller and to register the grievances of the NURTW members over the killing of one of their members by a customs officer.
Olowofuja said, “One of our people conveying some bags of rice from Kuto Garage to Owode Market, was pursued by customs and was shot dead in the process. That is why you are seeing this people. We came here to register our annoyance. We have been able to see the controller of customs, the commissioner of police was here; you can see, he just left here now. We just want them to know that it is becoming too much of the customs”.
He noted that the actions of men of the NCS was becoming unbearable, promising to table the matter next Tuesday before the State House of Assembly.
The lawmaker demanded that the NCS should produce the officer who fired the shot, dismiss him and also prosecute him for his action.
“Why we came me here to register our annoyance is that they should produce the person that fired the shot, he should be dismissed and he should be prosecuted and we are reconvening at the House of Assembly on Tuesday. We’ll give the customs a formal letter to come and explain to the good people of Ogun State why their activities had become notorious. We have to nip it in the bud.
“if you suspect a person carrying contraband goods, you go to the border, some goods that have already entered the town that people are buying and transporting from one point to the other, cannot be contraband and it’s becoming too much of them .” he added.
He, however, advised the members of the NURTW not to take laws into their hands, saying they should remain law abiding and calm.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident .
Oyeyemi said that when the command got wind of the planned protest by members of the NURTW, it deployed its men to the state office of the customs to forestall any break down of law and order.
“We heard about the matter and we deployed our men to the scene so that the protest of the people would not degenerate to loss of lives and property and we were able to curtail the situation,” the PPRO said.
