Customs shoots clearing agents while trying to intercept a vehicle in Lagos

Pandemonium broke out on Wednesday along the Mile 2-TinCan expressway following the alleged shooting of a clearing agent by a customs officer.

The trigger happy customs officer is attached to a patrol van on a pin-down point along the access route to the Tin-Can Island Port.

Though, the identity of the injured clearing agent could not be ascertained as at press time yesterday, but he was said to have been rushed to one hospital at Kirikiri town.

The victim in a Toyota RAV 4 2019 modem was driving towards Mile 2 when the customs officers accosted him.

It was learnt that there was hot exchange of words between the customs officer and the victim who refused to hand over the intercepted vehicle.

The customs officer was said to have sped off in their patrol van when it became obvious that bystanders were going to carry out mob action on them.

Our correspondent learnt that the customs officers from the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja were on enforcement duty when the incident occurred.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, FOU Zone A, Theophilus Duniya, said it was a mob action against the officers who intercepted the vehicle.

He said some urchins had attempted to prevent the officers from carrying out their lawful duty when they tried to take away the impounded vehicle to the office.

“The urchins who pelted the officers with stones had attempted to snatch a rifle from one of the officers. One of the gun fired in the struggle to take away the rifle from the officers.

“In the confusion that followed, the mob took the injured person away while the officers escaped from the scene,” he added.