The Federal Operations Unit Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ikeja, Lagos has denied media report alleging that some officers of the Unit shot one Mr. Sunday Umaru whose bus was conveying smuggled rice and abandoned him in pains, then took the bus and its content to Customs Office at Ikeja.
The Unit’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Jerry Attah who made the denial in a press release he issued in Lagos on Wednesday described the report as unverified and capable of misleading the public.
According to Attah,”On the 30th of August 2016, at about 1325hrs, Operatives of the Federal Operations Unit while on a tip-off patrol traced one M/Benz Bus with registration Number KJA310XB Loaded with 100 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice all the way from Sango Area and eventually stopped it at Daleko, Mushin Area of Lagos.
“Before he was finally halted at Daleko, the driver was shouting and making comments that incited a mob action against the officers with different dangerous weapons such as broken bottles, stones and cutlasses. Obviously, he drove to where he could get his associates to help attack the Customs Officers.
“Seeing the mob supporting him, he resisted lawful arrest and grabbed the riffle of an officer, struggling and attempting to disarm the operative. It was during this daring attempt that the riffle discharged hitting his right shoulder. The other armed operatives fired shots in the air to disperse the raging mob.
“The Officers seized the bus and its content and immediately rushed the wounded Mr. Sunday Umaru to the Ikeja General Hospital for treatment.
“These fact clearly contradict the media report that he was abandoned in pain”.
While appreciating and thanking God that no life was lost, the Unit’ spokesman observed that it was obvious that Mr. Sunday Umaru deliberately embarked on a very dangerous mission of attempting to disarm an officer by grabbing a loaded riffle.
He further stated that the fact that a smuggler had evaded scrutiny either by following unapproved route or compromising any operative does not guarantee that the smuggled item would not be seized anywhere it was found by patrol officers whose duty he said was to ensure compliance.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the fact that a smuggler has evaded scrutiny either by following unapproved route or compromising any operative does not guarantee that the smuggled item will not be seized anywhere it is found by patrol officers whose duty is to ensure compliance”, he said.
He disclosed that the Controller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Comptroller Mohammed Dahiru Umar while lamenting the misleading report, urged media practitioners to verify their facts before rushing to the press.
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