Tragedy struck yesterday morning at the Tin-Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC), Apapa, Lagos, as a male Corporal of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) unit of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) shot dead an Assistant Inspector of Customs.
The deceased, male, was identified as Assistant Inspector of Customs A. O. Oro.
The Customs Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Tin-Can Island Port Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Deputy Superintendent of Customs Chris Osunkwo, who confirmed the identity of the deceased, explained to SHIPS & PORTS DAILY that he was serving at the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, NCS, and had been on “escort duty at Tin-Can Port.”
The identity of the trigger-cop could not be confirmed as at press time, as both calls and text messages to the MTN network mobile phone line of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Ports Authority Police Command (PAPC), Assistant Superintendent of Police Michael Njoku, failed.
It was also not confirmed if the Mobile Corporal was attached to the PAPC, or had been engaged direct from the PMF by the concessionaire, Tincan Island Container Terminal Limited (TICT), at whose terminal gate the incident occurred.
Eyewitnesses informed SHIPS & PORTS DAILY that the Corporal’s AK-47 rifle allegedly suddenly started discharging accidentally, and the Policeman pointed the gun in the air in an effort to mitigate the potential devastating effect of the assault rifle as the bullets rained.
Unfortunately, it was learnt, the Customsman had been struck by a bullet, which wounded him fatally, resulting in his death.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of ongoing training of the personnel by the PAPC on the proper handling of firearms, in order to check tragedies such as yesterday’s.
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