The Ogun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, has said four operatives of the Command were injured as the Command impounded eight second-hand vehicles and a new Toyota Hilux in communities in Idiroko border area.
The Controller of the Command, Sani Madugu, said this at the Command’s Idiroko border office while reviewing its activities in one week on Thursday.
Other smuggled vehicles impounded were Toyota Tundra, Toyota Hybrid Prius, Toyota Sienna, Golf 3, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Hilux.
Madugu said the operatives were attacked when they went to one of the villages along the border route to effect the seizure of a Toyota Hilux hid there by smugglers.
He said the smugglers, on sighting the operatives, started hurling stones and other dangerous objects at them, and in the process, they injured four of them.
The Customs boss said, “We had an intelligence report that a new Toyota Hilux smuggled into the country from the Republic of Benin was being hid in a village along the border route.
“When our operatives got there and they wanted to recover the smuggled vehicle, the smugglers started hurling stones and other dangerous objects at them.
“In the process, four operatives were injured and the operational vehicle was also damaged.
“Two of the operatives are still receiving treatment in the hospital while the other two have been discharged.
“I don’t want to mention the name of the village because investigation is still on. We will get all those who were involved.”
Madugu also said within one week, 1,479 bags of rice, 78 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil and nine vehicles used as the means of conveyance, were also seized.
He said the duty payable on all the seized vehicles was N84.06m.
Madugu said the command would continue to step up its anti-smuggling activities in the state.