Customs officers
A bystander lost his life after being hit by a stray bullet when some Nigerian Customs Service officers clashed with smugglers in the Obada Idi-Emi area of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State on Monday.
PUNCH Metro gathered from a resident who pleaded anonymity on Tuesday that the incident occurred in the early hours of the day.
The resident noted that residents were thrown into panic following repeated gunshots that accompanied the scuffle.
The resident said, “There was a violent confrontation between Nigerian Customs Service officers and suspected smugglers in Obada Idi Emi, Imeko-Afon.
“The clash occurred early this morning, with sporadic gunfire exchanged between the two groups. A resident identified as Kazeem was hit by a stray bullet and lost his life.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Services, Hammed Oloyede, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday.
Oloyede while narrating the circumstances behind the incident noted that officers of the command had received intelligence about a smuggling activity of some foreign rice and they trailed the vehicle.
