From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A landed property belonging to an official of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and two patrol vehicles of the NCS, have been burnt by aggrieved youths in Iseyin in Oke-Ogun zone of Oyo State.
The action of the youth followed the death of three fun seekers on Thursday when they were celebrating this year’s Eid-el-Fitr in Iseyin. Stray bullets from an encounter between the NCS operatives and some smugglers were said to have despatched them to their early graves.
The youth insist that the stray bullets that also injured another two persons came from the NCS operatives. The aggrieved youth led a protest to the palace of Aseyin of Iseyin, after setting the property ablaze.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Iseyin Development Union (I.D.U), Alhaji Bayo Raji, said the wall of peaceful coexistence that was erected after the EndSARS crisis that led to the burning of the Iseyin Divisional Police Headquarters and destruction of rented buildings and property used by other security agencies in the community, has been pulled down by the action of the unknown customs officers.
According to him, “the incident that occurred today (Friday) was very sad and dastardly. We want to appeal to our people to please, in the name of the Almighty, remain calm, justice shall be done. Ramadan has just ended and these trigger-happy Customs officers just decided to ignite a fire of violence that we have succeeded in putting out after the EndSARS crisis.
“The outcry against the high-handedness of these Nigerians that are paid and kitted with our taxes is across the nation, from Katsina to Ibadan and now in Iseyin, but we should not put laws into our hands, please let us remain calm.”
The Federal Operating Unit of Zone A, Nigeria customs service, said the incident was attempt by some hoodlums to assassinate one of its officers. The Acting Controller of the Unit, DC Usman Yahaya, said: “The assailants had taken the injured officer with his rifle before his team members, who acted in self-defence, shot at his suspected abductors, leading to the death of three of them before he was rescued and taken for immediate medical attention.