Hoodlums kill Customs officer, injure 3 others in Kwara 

By Mosunmola Ayobami,Ilorin

A Customs officer, Saheed Aweda was on Friday killed, while three others sustained life-threatening injuries in an attack on the Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) in Kwara State by some hoodlums.

This was contained in a statement by the Kwara Customs Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chado Zakari on Monday.

The statement stated that the JBPT Sector 3 operatives acting on information were patrolling along Sinau-Kenu road in Baruten Local Government Area and had intercepted 40 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 30 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), each containing 25 litres, abandoned along Sinau-Kenu Road. 

“The operatives immediately swung to action and evacuated the seized items into their operational vehicles for onward delivery to government warehouse for safe keeping in line with rules of engagement.

“While in transit, a group of hoodlums laid ambush and pelted our personnel with guns, stones, bottles, cutlasses, sticks, charms and other dangerous items. 

“In the fiery exchange that ensued, one of our officers succumbed to the cold hands of death, while three officers sustained life threatening injuries and are currently responding to treatment in the hospital,”  the statement said.

It noted that reinforcements from JBPT Headquarters Team, JBPT Ilesha Baruba, Kwara Command, Customs Police and 224 Recce Battalion of the Nigeria Army were immediately dispatched and have since restored normalcy while the contraband items were moved to JBPT Headquarters, Ilorin for safe keeping. 

The statement disclosed further that the coordinator of JBPT, Olugboyega Peters has ordered a full scale investigation to fish out those responsible for the attack.

He noted that the trend of unprovoked attacks by faceless cowards whose intention is to instill fear in the minds of law enforcement operatives shall not go unpunished.

According to the statement, Aweda has since been buried according to Islamic rights in his home town, Popogbona in Ilorin West Local Government.