Shooting of agent: NCS, ANLCA broker peace

By Muyiwa Lucas

Efforts are on to calm frayed tempers between the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), following the shooting of an agent at Mile 2, Lagos.

After a peace meeting last week, between the NCS and ANLCA at Zone A, Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja, the Chairman of ANLCA, PTML Chapter, Otunba Sunday Oyebola, who led a delegation of his members and the wounded agent, Wale Balogun, said he was hopeful of an amicable resolution of the matter.

“We are here as a law-abiding body of professionals to resolve the issue with Nigeria Customs Service and we are making progress. As you can see, the young man who sustained injury was here with us and we have entered negotiation with customs to see how issues of short payment will be resolved. ANLCA, under our watch, will continue teaching our members to abide by the law as contained in the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA). We are also interested in protecting our members while we train and retrain our members for our common good in the interest of our great country,” Oyebola said shortly after the meeting with the Customs hierarchy led by Assistant Comptroller Jack Ukpabi, Officer in Charge of Roving for Federal Operations Unit, Zone A.

Genesis

On Wednesday, last week, officers from the FoU Zone A, Ikeja, on patrol at the Mile 2 axis of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, intercepted a 2019 Toyota RAV4 model. Although the vehicle was said to have been cleared from the PTML Port, upon checks by the officers, it was discovered that the Duty Paid Value (DPV) on it was under paid by as much as N3.5million. This led to argument between the agent and the Customs officers.

However, while held up in traffic, the agent was said to have called for support from his colleagues and miscreants who took back the car from the officer. This was said to have been corroborated by the agent at the meeting in the presence of his lawyer.

The officer was said to have shot the agent on his leg, a development which dispersed the crowd. The officer took the car to the FoU Zone A premises in Ikeja.

Is shooting an option

The question on stakeholders’ lips is whether it was right for the Customs officer to have shot the agent, an unarmed civilian.”I can tell you that the Customs officer acted in the best way,’’ a source said.

Prosecution

Further findings have since shown that it is not out of place for the NCS to treat or pay the medical bills of persons who sustain injury in the course of a face-off with its men. The Nation gathered from highly placed sources that the essence is to get such persons back to good health to face prosecution.

Truce

Unaware of the details of the incident, the body of clearing agents, ANLCA had threatened litigation against the NCS. However, at the Monday’s meeting, the body changed its war tune to that of peace. Listed as conditions for the truce to be considered is the clearing of the underpayment by the agent.

The Customs Public Relations Officer of the FoU, Theophilus Duniya, said it was an offence to either obstruct or attack officers on duty. He confirmed that the vehicle in question was in the unit’s custody.

Duniya said: “Preliminary investigation has shown that there was a short payment of over N3.5 million on the seized vehicle. Secondly, the agent has been found not to be a registered licensed Customs agent as widely reported. He was questioned at the FoU Unit headquarters in bandaged leg, in company of the ANLCA Chairman (PTML Chapter), an uncle and a lawyer. The injured man in his confessional statement confirmed that he and others snatched the vehicle from the officer that was taking it to the office before it was rearrested.”

Duniya cited enabling laws under which the agent may be prosecuted to fall under the following: criminal obstruction of officers on lawful duty and assault on officers, among others.

Faced with the reality of the NCS’plan to prosecute him and all those involved in the attack, Duniya said the suspect began to plead for mercy. “May I ask that would it have been better if the armed officer was killed or disarmed? Assuming he was disarmed, where would the riffle have been and used for?” he asked rhetorically.

Present at the meeting were Chairman, Apapa Chapter of ANLCA, Dr. Sylvester Budu; Vice Chairman PTML, Alhaji Lameen Aliyu, and Secretary, Chijioke Daniels.

Meanwhile, the NCS’ National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah, said  the affected agent would be charged to court for alleged unlawful conduct.

He also said the service was investigating the owner of the licence used by the wounded man in the clearing of a 2019 model RAV 4 SUV.

“When they meet anti-smuggling operatives on the road and such documents are subjected to scrutiny, they find faults, the right thing to do is to intercept.

“Such person will still have the audacity to mobilise miscreants to come and attack law enforcement agents who are doing their legitimate duty. Even attempting to disarm them.

“The consequences of confronting an armed person and attempting to disarm him are always very grave. If, in the process, there is one form of injury or the other, you will see some people rise up to say, ‘Oh, the trigger-happy officer’. These officers are performing their statutory duties in the interest of the country.’