BEVERLY HILLS, March 08, (THEWILL) – The headquarters of the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Quarry road, Abeokuta, was on Wednesday attacked by a mob of drivers who were bent on razing the buildings but for the timely intervention of soldiers and anti – riot Policemen who battled to repel the mob.
THEWILL gathered that the armed mob were protesting the killing of a colleague, Saubanna ‘Onila,’ by the Operatives of the NCS who opened fire on them at the Kobape stretch of the Abeokuta – Sagamu road on Wednesday.
According to information form locals, drivers of five vehicles, each bearing 25 bags of rice, had taken off at Kuto market, Abeokuta, and were going to Sagamu when they ran into the custom patrol team who waved them down but they refused to stop for a search.
In a bid to arrest the drivers, the patrol team chased the drivers and seemingly aimed at the tyres of their vehicles and fired but the bullets missed a target and struck Saubanna, a father of four children, who then lost control of the car and slumped behind the steering while the vehicle tumbled to a side of the road.
It was further gathered that his colleagues rescued him and rushed him to the hospital but he died on the way.
This angered the drivers who mobilised fellow drivers and touts and embarked on a revenge mission to the NCS Headquarters.
There was pandemonium as the mob marched and chanted war songs carrying the corpse of Saubanna along quarry road to dump it at the Headquarters of the NCS, but they were promptly stopped by the soldiers and Police called in to help control the situation when the enraged mob approached the facility.
For over an hour, business activities came to an abrupt end and residents of Quarry road area and visitors scampered to different directions for safety as the security men made effort to disperse the mob.
However, reacting to the event, Usman Abubakar, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, denied any shooting by the NCS Operatives insisting that the officers are well trained and they operate according to international best practice.
