File: Nigerian Customs personnel

Four operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command, were injured as the command seized eight ‘tokunbo’ vehicles, including a new Toyota Hilux in communities in Idiroko border of Ogun State.

The Controller of the Area command, Sani Madugu, disclosed this on Thursday at the command’s Idiroko border office while reviewing its activities in one week.

Other smuggled vehicles impounded were Toyota Tundra, Toyota Hybrid Prius, Toyota Sienna, Golf 3, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Hilux.

Madugu said the operatives were attacked when they went to one of the villages (name withheld) along the border route to effect a seizure of the Toyota Hilux hid there by smugglers.

Madugu said the smugglers on sighting the operatives, started hurling stones and other dangerous objects at them, and in the process, they injured four of the officers on field.

He said, “We had an intelligence report that a new Toyota Hilux smuggled into the country from the Republic of Benin was being hidden in a village along the border route.

“When our operatives got there and they wanted to recover the smuggled vehicle, the smugglers started hurling stones and other dangerous objects at them.

“In the process, four operatives were injured and the operational vehicle was also damaged.

Two of the operatives are still receiving treatment in the hospital while the other two have been discharged.

“I don’t want to mention the name of the village because investigation is still on. We will get all those who were involved.”

Madugu also said within the period of one week, 1, 479 bags of rice, 78 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil and nine other vehicles used as the means of conveyance, were equally seized.

He said the duty payable value of the seizures is worth N84.06m. Madugu vowed that the command would continue to step up its anti-smuggling activities in the state.