A Customs officer has shot and killed a motorist, injuring two others at the Seme Border area of Lagos State. The deceased identified as Friday Poku, and three other persons, were
said to have been crossing the border in his red Volkswagen Jetta
saloon car with registration number GGE 81 AH, when the incident
occurred. It was learnt that the Customs officer’s act infuriated the youths in
the area who stormed the streets and made bonfire in the middle of the
road, preventing other road users access to the border.
Customs officers posted at other border posts were said to have taken
to their heels for fear of being lynched, immediately they heard the
youths were out on the streets. The deceased, according to eyewitnesses, was allegedly flagged down
by the officers at one of the illegal check points at Gbetrome area of
the border. When the deceased was stopped, he got down and engaged the
officers in dialogue. The officer allegedly shot him in the process with
his service pistol, firing his gun twice at close range. The three other passengers tried to apprehend the fleeing Customs
officers, but they were shot repeatedly by the officers as they fled. The angry youths in the area who carried the corpse from where it was
abandoned, demanded that the Customs comptroller should hand over the
trigger happy officer to the police for prosecution as they marched to
the nearby customs barracks. They condemned claims by the Customs officers that the deceased and the injured persons were smugglers. The intervention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Seme
Division, Mr. Muazu Mohammed, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP),
was what brought normalcy back to the area, but not until the youths
shattered the windshield of the police patrol van.
In his reaction, youth chairman at the J5 park, Seme, who identified
himself as Dosu said they wouldn’t allow anyone to sweep the killing
under the carpet as in the past. He alleged that the killing of villagers was becoming one too many on
the part of the Customs, who fire indiscriminately at villagers and in
order to cover their tracks, claim that the victims were shot at because
they are smugglers. “We have had enough of this wanton killings and we want the
controller to hand over the killer to the police to investigate the
matter. Also, why is it that the officers involved in the incident have
not gone to make statement at the station since the matter is homicide
and the deceased’s vehicle taken away by custom and not the police,” he
said. He noted that the action of the customs service was to afford them
the opportunity to conceal vital evidence that might unravel the
situation that led to the death of the deceased since they knew they
were guilty of murdering the poor man.Customs Public Relations Officer (PRO), Seme Command, Mr. Ernest
Ollotah, a Deputy Superintendent of Customs, however, said he was not
aware of any killing, rather, the investigation at hand was the case of
an attempt to disarm some Customs officers by some smugglers, who fled
the area, after they were repelled by security men. “I am not aware of any killing, but we are investigating an attempt
to disarm some of our men by smugglers. However, we will make the
outcome of the investigations known to the public,” he said. Sources however said police claimed otherwise as the situation report
at the Police Command headquarters, Ikeja, clearly stated that the
deceased was shot and killed by some Customs officers at Gbetrome area
of Seme.
