Some
officers of the Nigerian Customs Service allegedly killed a trader, Samuel
Apase, at the Badagry Roundabout, Lagos State, Wednesday, as mob went on
rampage.
We learnt that the officers had intercepted Apase in the Muwo area of
Badagry and seized a Toyota Camry, which he allegedly used to smuggle some bags
of rice and frozen foods from Seme.
The
officers reportedly took the vehicle away while Apase boarded a motorcycle to
trail them.
He
was said to have caught up with the officers at the Badagry Roundabout and pleaded
to pay some money to get the car and the goods released.
Our correspondent gathered that an altercation ensued while Apase was negotiating
with the officers, who reportedly got enraged and opened fire on him. It was
learnt that a trader, who sold barbecued meat (suya) in the area, and a
passerby, were hit by stray bullets in the process.
Some
Good Samaritans were said to have rushed the injured victims to the Badagry
General Hospital for treatment while Apase’s corpse was deposited in the
hospital’s morgue.
An
eyewitness, Adeleke Adesiji, said some hoodlums around the scene of the
incident went on the rampage and smashed the windscreen of a patrol van used by
the officers. Adesiji added that the officers later fled the scene with their
vehicle and the seized car.
A
resident, Oluwaseun Babalola, blamed Apase’s death on the customs officers’
recklessness, saying the deceased was not confrontational.
He
said, “The officers were unprofessional in the way they handled the matter. If
they perceived his (Apase’s) attempt to get his goods and car back as bribery,
the best thing was to arrest him. He was not armed; so why did they pull their
triggers?”
But
the NCS spokesperson, Badagry Command, Taopeng Selchang, said some hoodlums
attacked the officers and injured the patrol van’s driver while the seized
goods from Apase were being taken away.
He
said, “We seized contraband of about 64 cartons of frozen food products from
the suspect and a quantity of rice. The suspect was intercepted along Muwo and
while the officers were moving the contraband, some hoodlums ambushed them at
the roundabout with cutlasses and other weapons. They attacked the officers
with machetes. They also smashed the windscreen and the wing mirrors of the
vehicle.
“One
of the hoodlums was struggling with an officer to dispossess him of his rifle
when other officers shot into the air to disperse the hoodlums and ensure that
the seized goods get to the command’s headquarters; there was pandemonium
thereafter. The officers were only interested in bringing the contraband to the
command, so they are not in a position to know whether somebody was killed or
not.”
Some
officers of the Nigerian Customs Service allegedly killed a trader, Samuel
Apase, at the Badagry Roundabout, Lagos State, Wednesday, as mob went on
rampage.
We learnt that the officers had intercepted Apase in the Muwo area of
Badagry and seized a Toyota Camry, which he allegedly used to smuggle some bags
of rice and frozen foods from Seme.
The
officers reportedly took the vehicle away while Apase boarded a motorcycle to
trail them.
He
was said to have caught up with the officers at the Badagry Roundabout and
pleaded to pay some money to get the car and the goods released.
Our correspondent gathered that an altercation ensued while Apase was negotiating
with the officers, who reportedly got enraged and opened fire on him. It was
learnt that a trader, who sold barbecued meat (suya) in the area, and a
passerby, were hit by stray bullets in the process.
Some
Good Samaritans were said to have rushed the injured victims to the Badagry
General Hospital for treatment while Apase’s corpse was deposited in the
hospital’s morgue.
An
eyewitness, Adeleke Adesiji, said some hoodlums around the scene of the incident
went on the rampage and smashed the windscreen of a patrol van used by the
officers. Adesiji added that the officers later fled the scene with their
vehicle and the seized car.
A
resident, Oluwaseun Babalola, blamed Apase’s death on the customs officers’
recklessness, saying the deceased was not confrontational.
He
said, “The officers were unprofessional in the way they handled the matter. If
they perceived his (Apase’s) attempt to get his goods and car back as bribery,
the best thing was to arrest him. He was not armed; so why did they pull their
triggers?”
But
the NCS spokesperson, Badagry Command, Taopeng Selchang, said some hoodlums
attacked the officers and injured the patrol van’s driver while the seized
goods from Apase were being taken away.
He
said, “We seized contraband of about 64 cartons of frozen food products from
the suspect and a quantity of rice. The suspect was intercepted along Muwo and
while the officers were moving the contraband, some hoodlums ambushed them at
the roundabout with cutlasses and other weapons. They attacked the officers
with machetes. They also smashed the windscreen and the wing mirrors of the
vehicle.
“One
of the hoodlums was struggling with an officer to dispossess him of his rifle
when other officers shot into the air to disperse the hoodlums and ensure that
the seized goods get to the command’s headquarters; there was pandemonium
thereafter. The officers were only interested in bringing the contraband to the
command, so they are not in a position to know whether somebody was killed or
not.”
Source: The Punch
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