7 Feared Dead After Shootout Between Smugglers and Customs in Ogun

Three children and four adults were believed to have died after a shootout between customs officers and suspected smugglers at Oke-Odan, Yewa South local government in Ogun State on Sunday.


The Vanguard reports that the customs officers pursued some suspected rice smugglers in two vehicles from Igolo, a border town between Nigeria and Benin Republic, caught up with them and seized their vehicles and the products they were smuggling.

But as they were driving the vehicles to their Idi-Iroko Office, they were ambushed by some suspected smugglers who opened fire on them.
Eyewitnesses told the newspaper that three children, a roadside mechanic, panel-beater and a man simply identified as Ade were hit by stray bullets.

Several others were said to have been injured in the shootout.
Ogun State Police spokesperson,  Muyiwa Adejobi, and his Customs counterpart, Usman Abubakar, while confirming the incident, however said only two people lost their lives.
Abubakar said three of their officers sustained injuries during the attack by the smugglers, he said three customs check-points were also burnt down by the smugglers.

“Two people have been confirmed dead. Our officers were attacked by smugglers on their way to Idi-Iroko office after seizing two vehicles loaded with rice at Ajilete.
“These smugglers carried guns, cutlasses, axe, broken bottles, and they stoned our officers with a view to recovering their vehicles with the contra-band.
“We had to call for reinforcement of Military and Police before we could escape from the smugglers, they burnt down three of our check-points.”