One dead in fresh Ogun customs, smugglers clash

• Police kill notorious Benue criminal

A clash between Custom officials and suspected smugglers at Ajilete village in Ogun State resulted in the death of one person on Sunday.
More than four of such incidences and at different locations in the state have occurred this year.

Ajilete is situated along the Sango Ota-Idiroko Road, close to the Nigeria-Republic of Benin border.The operatives reportedly struck following intelligence that three fairly used (Tokunbo) vehicles had been smuggled into the village. One, a Toyota Tundra van, was impounded. Effort to drive it away however was said to have been met with resistance, as the alleged smugglers barricaded all roads.

The deceased, whose identity could not be ascertained immediately, had gone to a tailor’s shop to retrieve his cloth and was hit by a stray bullet, as the operatives shot into the air to scare the hoodlums away.

Custom officials manning checkpoints along the axis were said to have deserted their posts immediately, in apparent fear of being attacked by angry residents.

The command’s spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, confirmed the incident.“It was when our operatives wanted to move the impounded vehicle to our Idiroko office that some hoodlums barricaded the roads with various objects. Since we did not want to shoot anyone, the operatives started firing sporadically into the air, to scare away the hoodlums and secure their (operatives’) own lives. Eventually, we succeeded in taking the impounded vehicle away. We later received information that a stray bullet hit someone and he died instantly. The person was not even among the hoodlums who blocked the road. It is a very sad development,” said Maiwada.

The Taraba police command meanwhile has killed one of the state’s crime kingpins.Yamaduweh was reportedly gunned down in a shootout.
Until his death, he was described as second in command to the most wanted militia gang leader in the state, Terkwase Akwaza (alias Ghana).

Following a tipoff, the police engaged Yamaduweh and his men in a battle. Other members of the gang are said to have escaped with gunshot wounds.State police commissioner, David A. Akinremi, made the disclosure while briefing journalists at the command’s headquarters in Jalingo, the state capital.

He appealed to members of the public around Takum and Wukari local government councils to look out for “people with gunshot injuries”.
Akinremi described the killing as a major breakthrough for the police. He appreciated support from members of the public and reiterated the command’s commitment to bust violent crimes throughout the state.

The commissioner also displayed items recovered from Yamaduweh. They included a G3 rifle, 10 rounds of ammunition and charms.The police are “intensifying efforts at apprehending the fleeing members of the gang”, said Akinremi.