RismadarVoice Reporters
February 1, 2026
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun I Area Command, Idiroko, has confirmed that an alleged smuggler lost his life during a violent confrontation between suspected smugglers, a mob, and Customs operatives along the Alapoti bush path in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, January 31, 2026, also led to the arrest of a suspect who claimed ownership of 46 bags of foreign parboiled rice seized by Customs officers during an anti-smuggling operation.
In a statement issued late Saturday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Zakari Chado, the attack was described as unprovoked, noting that it came barely a week after Customs officers were similarly attacked by suspected drug traffickers at Akokoro area of Iwoye in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area, where two officers sustained life-threatening injuries and are still receiving medical treatment.
According to Chado, officers of the command were on routine anti-smuggling patrol at about 6:00a.m. when they intercepted a convoy of motorcycles conveying smuggled foreign parboiled rice along the Alapoti bush path. A total of 46 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice were seized, loaded into an official patrol vehicle as the officers prepared to leave the area.
However, while withdrawing from the scene, the operatives were ambushed by a large mob armed with dangerous weapons, including dane guns, stones, bottles, and charms, in what he described as a coordinated attempt to overpower the patrol team and recover the seized items.
“The officers maintained composure and successfully repelled the attack after an intense exchange that lasted about 30 minutes,” Chado said.
“During the confrontation, one of the assailants sustained injuries and later died, while a suspect who claimed ownership of the seized rice was apprehended and is currently undergoing investigation.”
The command noted that the recent spate of attacks on Customs personnel is linked to the intensification of anti-smuggling operations in the area, which have resulted in major seizures of arms, ammunition, narcotics, and other prohibited items. According to the command, these violent reactions reflect the determination of criminal elements to resist lawful enforcement and undermine national security.
Reacting to the incident, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Ogun I Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, strongly condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric and a direct assault on the rule of law.”
Afeni reaffirmed that such acts of resistance would not deter the command from carrying out its statutory responsibilities, stressing that all individuals involved in the attack would be identified, brought to justice.
