In the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, thugs who are thought to be smugglers ambushed members of the Nigeria Customs Service Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 3, murdering one of its officers, Saheed Aweda, in a gunfight.
According to a statement made on Monday by Chado Zakari, the public relations officer for the Kwara Area Command of Customs, the event happened last Friday while the team was on patrol along the Sinau-Kenu road in the state’s Baruten Local Government Area.
Chado claimed that when transporting the items to the government warehouse, the operatives discovered 40 bags of imported parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kg, and 30 jerry cans of premium motor spirit that had been left in a bushy area along the Sinau-Kenu Road.
In the bush path along Sinau-Kenu Road, 40 bags of foreign parboiled rice weighing 50 kg each and 30 jerry Cans of premium motor spirit had been discovered, according to Chado. The operatives were transporting these items to the Government Warehouse when the thugs ambushed the team and attacked them with weapons, stones, bottles, cutlasses, sticks, charms, and other dangerous objects.
“The hoodlums laid ambush and shot sporadically at Officers. In the fiery exchange that ensued, one of our officers succumbed to the cold hands of death, while 3 officers sustained life threatening injuries and are currently responding to treatment in the hospital.
The deceased ASCIS Saheed Aweda has been buried according to Islamic rights in his hometown, Popo-Igbona in Ilorin West Local Government of Kwara State.
Comptroller Olugboyega Peters, Representatives of DSS, NPF, ONSA, NIA, Immigration and other security agencies have visited the family of the deceased to commiserate with them. Our prayers go out to the family of the deceased officer whose sacrifice is deeply appreciated and held in high esteem.
“To those wounded, the Sector promises to stand by them on their journey to recovery and full restoration of health. The sector wishes to commend the patriotic roles of our sister.
Agencies and law-abiding citizens in assisting the sector to perform the lawful duty of implementing partial closure of our land borders in the interest of our dear country.
The intervention of Reinforcements from JBPT Headquarters Team, JBPT Ilesha Baruba, Kwara Command, Customs Police, and 224 Recce Battalion of the Nigerian Army were immediately dispatched and have since restored normalcy while the contraband items were moved to JBPT Headquarters, Ilorin for safe keep.”
Chado said that the Comptroller General of Customs has ordered a full-scale investigation into the matter with a view to fishing out those who carried out the act.