Accident Claims Lives Of Eight Customs Officers

No fewer than eight Customs officers were confirmed dead in a car crash that occurred at Sagamu, Ogun State last week.

The Tide gathered that the officers died while on their way to the customs headquarters in Abuja, following an alleged emergency summon by the Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) in charge of Enforcement and Drugs.

Our source revealed that a signal for the trip was sent around 4p.m on that fateful date. It was from the enforcement boss inviting all the officers from the rank of Deputy Superintendent (DSC) and below, at the Tincan Port and Seme Command attached to the Examination Department, to Abuja for a parade.

Following the para- military gingle of “obey before complaint”, the affected officers, according to sources, chartered a bus to convey them to Abuja.

According to eye witness account, the bus which conveyed the officers rammed into a parked truck and killed all the occupants.

Eye witnesses blamed the accident on over-speeding which resulted in loss of control that culminated in the crash.

But junior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service accused the management of being responsible for the death of their colleagues, stressing that the purpose of their invitation could be ascertained immediately.

They explained further that, an officer serving at Tincan Port’s Examination Department released, a container whose content was registered as toys but physical examination revealed it contraband adding that the headquarters could have leveraged on NCS computer network to identify the officer that involved in the scam.

They also accused the ACG in charge of Enforcement and Drugs for trying to play politics with the lives, of their colleagues and wondered what had become the fate of the family members.

Confirming the incident, the Customs Public Relations Officer, Mr. Steve Okonmah, said the headquarters had the right to summon any officer when the need arose but regretted the death of the officers who lost their lives on  national assignment