Customs should respect human rights

The death of an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Saki, Oyo State, calls for a new approach by the Comptroller General of the Service on how to arrest smugglers. The man died while customs officers were chasing him.

The death led to an uproar in the community, similar to what happened in Ibadan, where a man was shot. The customs officers, though carrying out their legitimate duties, ought to uphold the law of the country, especially fundamental human rights.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps had also exhibited this high-handedness that led to the death of its officers and some

Nigerians. The Saki incident led to the burning of a Hilux, while another vehicle was damaged at the customs base in the town.

This is to tell our government that efforts should be made to curtail these excesses before they get out of hand.

I sincerely hope the government would do something about this because it is a time-bomb waiting to explode. Should this happen in an unfriendly community, it might lead to loss of lives and property.

I can only imagine the plan of the customs officers when such chase led to death, or for shooting at unarmed suspects. This shows the rot in the military and paramilitary organisations in the country.

I grew up in Idiroko, Ogun State and witnessed several clashes between smugglers and customs officers during the 1990s. So, the government should call the customs authorities to order before it is too late