Smugglers Allegedly Brutalise Three Informants For Alerting Customs Officials To Their Operations
At least three men who reportedly served as informants to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been brutalised by suspected smugglers in the Oja-Odan area of Ogun State for tipping off Customs officials about their operations.
It was gathered that the three men (name withheld) had provided crucial information about smuggling activities to the operatives of NCS before being targeted by the assailants.
Investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, revealed the disturbing incident on his social media platform on Tuesday.
According to Soyombo, the three men were involved in alerting Nigeria Customs Service to the smuggled rice and petrol seized by operatives overnight last Tuesday to Wednesday in Oja-Odan.
In the video, one of the informants, who had visible injuries and bloodstains on his face, could barely walk as he was further assaulted by the men. The attackers demanded personal information from him, pressuring him under duress.
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The wounded man, incapacitated by the beating, admitted to being an informant for Customs officials. He stated, “I work as an informant for Customs officials. I am from Oke-Odan, but I live in Owode.”
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When asked how Customs officials learned about the location of the contraband goods, the man revealed that the officers were already aware of the specific storage site.
One of the victims, speaking under duress, also stated, “I am going to destroy my two SIM cards because the Customs officials will still contact me if I keep them active.”
While raisimg questions about the security of informants working with the law enforcement service Soyombo expressed concerns over how the identities of the informants — who had provided crucial information to the NCS —were leaked.
He challenged the service to explain how the identities of the informants were leaked to the smugglers, leading to the abduction and attack on the informants..
“Can you then explain how the identities of these men who tipped you off about the crime became known to smugglers, consequently earning them the beating of their lives?
“What does it say about your supposed anti-smuggling war that tipping you off is no different from tipping smugglers off?
He said, “Who are the Customs officers who snitched on their colleagues and on these men?
“Will you ever find the thugs who dehumanised and tortured their fellow humans in this manner or will they go scot-free?
“Not like we don’t know the answers; there’s a reason I rechristened you the Nigeria Customs Smuggling!,” he added.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
