Tag: Benin Republic

• Residents lament: we’ ve become ‘bush meat’ to Customsmen
• Our men were attacked with arms, charms – Customs

Booming sounds of gunshots replaced the usual boom in business activities in Seme, a border town between Nigeria and Benin Republic, penultimate Thursday when men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and suspected smugglers clashed.

At the end of the mayhem, two residents of the community and a Customs officer were feared dead, while many others sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds. Goods and other valuables worth millions of naira were also destroyed in the bloody clash.

The traders and workers in the area had commenced their legitimate businesses on the fateful day without any premonition of what lay ahead. The bright and promising day suddenly turned to a sordid darkness at about 9:30 am when a Customs officer allegedly shot a suspected smuggler, identified as Saturday Joel, for smuggling rice across the border.

This was said to have precipitated a violent protest from the residents. In the process, the angry mob allegedly pounced on a customs officer, later identified as J. I. Motojelu, who happened to have unsuspectingly driven into them on his way to the office. He was instantly lynched.

Customsmen, who got wind of the killing, allegedly mobilised and took on the residents as a reprisal for the killing of their own. This was the account of some people in the area who claimed to have witnessed the clash.

But the Customs authorities demurred. According to the Seme Area Command, the crisis resulted from an allegedly unprovoked attack on their men by people suspected to be smugglers in the area. The attackers, it is claimed, used charms, arms and other dangerous weapons on every customs officer within reach.

Thereafter, the peace and tranquility that had been the order of the day paved the way for an orgy of violence. Immediately, the commercial activities which had started on a good note, suffered instant paralysis as sounds of gunshots rumbled from one end of the area to another.

While traders abandoned their goods and took to flight, workers hurriedly closed down their offices and joined the wobbly relay race.

However, not all of them were lucky to escape from the scene unscathed. Many of them were caught in the hail of stray bullets as they hurriedly made attempts to run away from the imminent danger.

An indigene of the community alerted our correspondent about the development at about 11: 30am on the fateful day. Thunderous sounds of gunshots were heard in the background when the telephone conversation was going on. The caller, who preferred anonymity, further drew our correspondent’s attention to the reverberating sounds of the gunshots when he said: “Please, come to Seme and see what the Nigerian Customs Service is doing to us. Hope you are hearing the sounds in the background? That is the sound of gunshots fired by men of the Nigerian Customs at our people.”

The correspondent, who visited the area, reported that the usually busy road that leads to the border was deserted because of the crisis. Though a combined team of soldiers and mobile policemen were stationed at strategic points in the area to forestall further breakdown of law and order, many commercial drivers refused to go to the troubled area. Most of them refused to go beyond Badagry, fearing that the ugly incident might erupt again.

The story of the clash was the topic of every discussion among the travellers and the traders in the embattled community. Residents of the community, both elders and youths, also gathered soberly in small groups in different parts of the area and discussed the incident in emotion laden tones.

One of such gatherings was at the house of Saturday Joel, the suspected smuggler allegedly shot by a Customs officer. The sympathisers, who gathered at the victim’s residence, debunked the claims that he (Saturday) was shot in the course of smuggling rice across the border. They claimed that he was shot in front of his house where he was chatting with his brother.

The parents were immediately not around to speak with our correspondent, but the younger brother, who gave his name as Mathew, said it was a blatant lie that his brother was shot in the course of smuggling rice across the border.

He said: “ It is not true that Saturday was shot in the course of smuggling rice across the border. He is a tailor by profession and had never been involved in smuggling. It was in front of our house that he was shot. We were together when the Customs officer shot him.”

Explaining how it happened, he said: “Both of us stood outside the house after Saturday had finished taking his breakfast. As we were talking, we saw a Customs vehicle pursuing a red car towards our quarters. The car was moving on the other side of the road when the Customs men spotted him. Thereafter, they pursued him driving ‘one way’ until they got to our side. When they could not apprehend the man, the driver of the Customs Hilux reversed, while the other officer walked towards us. He pointed his gun at Saturday and shot him somewhere below the ribs. I felt the impact of the shot and fell down.

“Immediately the officer shot him, he jumped into their van and they sped off. My brother is innocent. He is an easy- going man, married with three kids. He neither aided the fleeing smuggler nor interfered with the activities of the Customs men. We were only watching the whole drama as it was unfolding and never did anything to intervene in the whole exercise. If he was actually shot in the course of smuggling, why did the Customs officers run away after shooting him? This tells you that their allegation is a lie.”

A sympathiser, who simply gave his name as Joe, said the community is in deep sorrow not only because Saturday was shot, but because they labelled him a smuggler after shooting him without good reason.

“Have we committed any crime to be indigenes and hosts of the Nigerian Customs Service? Why have they chosen to be this brutal against us?”, he began with rhetorical questions, adding: “Their failure to admit their fault after shooting Saturday has aggravated our pains. It added salt to our injury. The allegation that he is a smuggler is an afterthought. It is a matter of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it. They used it as a cover up because they know that, that was the only way they could defend their barbaric action.

”This is not the first time they would shoot or kill our people in this dastardly manner. This is about the fifth time. Just last month, specifically on August 4, they killed one of our sons, popularly called Fryo. The situation was also similar to that of Saturday. He was trying to fix his faulty car when some frustrated Customs officers, who had fruitlessly chased a smuggler, pounced on him and shot him to death. The excuse they gave was that they thought that he was coming to attack them. How would someone with bare hands attack people that are armed to the teeth? If Saturday was truly a smuggler, was shooting him the right thing to do? Couldn’t they have arrested him, using the large number of personnel they have at the border? ”

In the course of gathering information in the nooks and crannies of the community, our correspondent ran into another set of residents, who were lamenting the alleged killing of one of them whose name was given simply as Lanre. The mourners, comprising friends and relations of the deceased, according to them, were just returning from his burial and were cleansing themselves spiritually when our correspondent got to the area. One of them, suspected to be the chief priest, dipped some leaves into a black clay pot and sprinkled a liquid substance on the mourners, praying that similar fate would not befall them. Each of the mourners after chorusing ‘amen’ rubbed the liquid substance over their bodies and stepped aside soberly.

The distraught mourners lamented Lanre’s alleged killing. One of them, who gave his name as Gbenga, said he still found it difficult to believe that Lanre had died.

“I still find it difficult to believe that Lanre is gone. We were together few hours before he was killed. I still wonder why men of the Nigerian Customs chose to cut him down in his prime because he wasn’t a smuggler,’’ he said sobbing.

Shortly after the encounter with friends and relations of late Lanre, news about the death of another victim, identified as Albert Olomitutu, was broken around 4.30 pm. He was said to have died in Benin Republic where most of the victims were taken to for medical attention.

Augustine, another relation of two victims of the mayhem, also narrated that he took his brothers to Benin Republic for medical attention when he discovered that the local treatment they were being given was not improving their situation.

He said: “The community did not take up arms against the Customs as they have made the general public to think. The crisis is not between them and any smugglers. It was strictly a case of the NCS using their powers and weapons to oppress and suppress us in our native community. They chose to unleash terror on us and two of my brothers sustained gunshot wounds in the crisis. I have taken them to Cotonou for medical attention because the local treatment they were getting here was not improving their health conditions. My concern is to see how my brothers would be well. I have placed everything in the hands of God. May God judge between us and the Customs.”

A visibly worried member of the community, who identified himself as Biodun Samson, alleged that more than 10 residents suffered various degrees of gunshot wounds during the crisis. He feared that the death toll may further rise because most of the victims did not get the deserved medical attention before they were rushed to Benin Republic for medical attention.

He said: “ I have never seen this kind of thing before in my life. It was as if they were prepared to exterminate us. They had excess bullets to the extent that some live bullets, were falling from them. We found some live bullets that fell from them when they were pursuing us and also picked some used bullets fired at our people. It appears as if we have become ‘bush meat’ that they must hunt down.

“The number of people that suffered gunshot wounds should be more than 10. Two of them fell beside me when we were running for our dear lives. Most of the victims were taken to Benin Republic for medical attention because we don’t have hospital in this place. If we were to have a standard hospital, somebody like Albert would not have died in Benin Republic where he was rushed to for medical attention. My fear is that some others that were taken there may die at the end of the day because they would have lost too much blood before getting medical help in faraway Benin Republic.

“Is it not a shame that we had to carry our people from here in Nigeria to little Benin Republic for treatment? We have not had power supply for over five years, the roads are death traps but nobody cares. The federal government makes so much money here through the Nigerian Customs and others but they don’t care about the indigenes. Instead of assisting us to develop the community by providing us with basic infrastructure, they are using their agents to kill us.”

Isiaka, a commercial driver who plies Seme-Mile 2 road, also gave account of how one of their men was shot on the thigh. “One of our boys was shot on the thigh during the crisis. He was immediately rushed to his home town in Ibadan, Oyo State. Our prayer is that he would survive because the distance is too far. If you were here on Thursday, you would think there was a civil war going on in the community. The problem started around 9.30 am when a Customs officer shot a resident. They said he was a smuggler.

‘’They had earlier killed another indigene, popularly called Fryo, sometime last month and claimed that he was a smuggler. I am sure that all this accumulated anger triggered off the crisis yesterday (penultimate Thursday) because few minutes after the NCS officer shot the guy, some of the aggrieved villagers went on the rampage and in the process, a Customs officer was lynched and a trailer carrying a full load of goods to Lagos set ablaze. The Customs officers mobilised and shot indiscriminately at the protesters.’’

An elderly member of the community, who identified himself as Omoede Soka, said the crisis would have gone out of hand had the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the area, Mr Mohammed Mu’Azu, not intervened.

He said: “The problem would have gone out of hand if not for the timely intervention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr Mohammed Mu’ Azu, who pleaded with members of the community to calm down. He played a vital role in quelling the crisis before two batches of soldiers and mobile policemen were drafted to maintain peace and order. He trekked from one end of the area to the other to make sure that the crisis was brought under control.

“This is not the first time they would kill members of our community. It is about the 5th time. The problem started around 9.30 am when a Customs officer shot one of our members right in front of their house. The whole of Seme was on fire on Thursday as they shot indiscriminately at innocent people. A good number of the victims have been taken to Benin Republic for medical attention. We don’t have any hospital that we can take them to for treatment. We just heard that one of them died this afternoon few minutes after we buried another that was also shot.”

Our correspondent also sought the comment of the Lagos State Command Police Public Relations officer, Ngozi Braides, on the matter. She simply said: “The matter is under investigation. You know that the people killed a Customs officer; so the matter is with the Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos.’’

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service had in a statement issued during the week assured that normalcy had returned to the area.

The statement reads: ‘’Following the recent attack on officers of the Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service by persons suspected to be smugglers and the killing of an armless customs officer in cold blood, the Customs Area Controller, Abdu Saleh Othman, has assured all members of the business community to continue going about their normal businesses.

‘’He has since reassured genuine business men and travellers to disregard rumours and fake stories of insecurity at the border as all government security agencies visibly seen around are there to ensure the safety of lives and properties at the Nigerian frontier with the Republic of Benin.

”All our law-abiding citizens, travellers and members of the border trading community have nothing to fear or worry about. They should go about their normal businesses and disregard rumours of insecurity at the border as the security agencies are cooperating as usual to ensure the safety of lives and properties.

‘’The supreme price paid by our colleague in the service to our fatherland has further strengthened our resolve to give in our best. The gentleman officer we lost recently did not die in vain. Those behind this act will pay for it. The destruction of government vehicle and arson against commercial goods being imported is a thing we condemn in strong terms.

‘’He has since urged all officers and men of the command to keep up the fight against smuggling and keep to their statutory rules of engagement in the discharge of their duties.’’

We don’t encourage extra-judicial killings –Customs

Below is the response of the Public Relations Officer of the Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Ernest Olottah, to the questions sent to him online on the Seme crisis:

Seme indigenes said Saturday is not a smuggler. Is it true that your men shot him in front of their house after they could not apprehend a fleeing smuggler driving a red car?

We are not aware of any person called Saturday among our stakeholders in Seme.

They also alleged that your men shot directly at the residents killing two of them (lanre and Albert were mentioned by residents) and injuring many others. What do you have to say about it?

The two names mentioned are not also known to us. The border community holds a vast population and as customs officers, we don’t keep records of the addresses and informal identities as mentioned in the question. You may be assisting us further by giving us full names, addresses, nationalities, states of origin and ages of the persons involved.It is pertinent to note that the customs command keeps a robust interaction with the community and this does not stop us from discharging our formal functions. It rather strengthens our duties as it is intended to make it.

If Saturday were a smuggler, shouldn’t he have been arrested and prosecuted instead of being shot?

Customs officers operating in Seme like any other command are well trained for the job. This training includes the use of arms in the discharge of their duties.Our officers do make arrests and we prosecute cases that fall under our legal purview. Customs officers only use arms where arrest is being resisted and where suspects or mob protecting them chose to attack and disarm officers trying to effect arrest.

Why was he shot and abandoned on the spot by your men? Why didn’t they take his body away for treatment and prosecution thereafter?

Our officers used their arms to prevent being killed and disarmed by persons shielding smugglers from arrest.

Is it also true that you have recovered the red vehicle driven by the fleeing smuggler that resulted in shooting Saturday?

We have so many seized vehicles in our custody; some are red in colour.Please specify vehicle make.

Is it also true that your men killed another resident by the name Fryo on August 4? Why was he also killed and abandoned?

We as customs organisation do not encourage extra-judicial killings and we value human lives too.

Is it also true that similar killings of the residents by your men have taken place before now?

We are aware that another agency of government is investigating the mob actions and killing of a customs officer by suspected smugglers and their suspected border community collaborators.

Could all these be as a result of improper training on the part of your men?

The Comptroller General of Customs has placed training among priority issues in his six-point agenda. I dare say that our men are properly trained.

Finally, enumerate your loss(es) in the recent crisis and past efforts at checking smuggling in the area.

A customs officer of the rank of superintendent was murdered.W e are yet to evaluate the worth of vehicles,imported goods and other properties destroyed and stolen by persons who attacked customs officers with arms, charms and other dangerous objects.