Customs Officials Kill Three Residents of Lagos Community

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Some officials attached to the Federal Operations Zone A, Ikeja, of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday shot and killed three residents of the Ijora Badia community of Lagos.

According to eyewitness account, the Customs officials, whose identities were yet unknown, stormed the area while the police were carrying out a separate operation and shot sporadically, killing three persons.

THISDAY gathered that the Custom officers were there at the invitation of some of the residents of the Hausa community, who had earlier been arrested in a raid carried out by the police.

The police had earlier on Monday carried out a raid of some blackspots at the Whitesand area of Ijora Badia community and arrested 10 northerners on allegations of various offences.

Some of the Hausa community residents were said to have informed the Customs officers, who stormed there to secure their release, but met stiff resistance from the community.

An eyewitness who spoke anonymously said, “Some Customs officers have killed three persons where the Divisional Police Officer of Badia Police Division was performing an operation.

“The custom officers were invited by some Hausa miscreants affected by the operation because the DPO had a arrested 10 persons of Hausa extraction over alleged criminal activities.

“When the Customs officers came today, they started harassing some of us. Suddenly, they started shooting at us and killed three people.”

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police, however said only one person died, while two others are recuperating in the hospital.

She said, “The community and the police were on joint operation of raiding blackspots within the community and arresting suspected criminals yesterday.”

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