THE Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police has refused to comment on the alleged killing of five persons by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday in the state.
Five civilians were allegedly shot by the Customs officers while they were chasing a vehicle suspected to have smuggled bags of rice.
According to The PUNCH, some residents of Iseyin had revealed that five persons were shot by the Customs officers while chasing a smuggler in the community.
The residents said the five persons killed by the Customs officers were Eid-il-Fitr celebrants.
However, the NCS has said that only three persons were shot and they were killed by the officers in self-defence.
A statement issued by Theophilus Duniya on behalf of Acting Controller of Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Usman Yahya read that the persons who were shot were ‘hoodlums’ hired by ‘daredevil smugglers’ to attack Customs officers.
The statement said that one of the injured officers was abducted by the hoodlums with his rifle, and his colleagues in the process of rescuing him fired at the hoodlums and killed three of them.
“The assailants had taken the injured officer with his rifle before his team members who acted in self defence, shot at his suspected abductors leading to the death of three of them before he was rescued and taken for immediate medical attention,” the statement read.
It remains unclear how many persons died and the true circumstances that led to their death. Police Public Relations Officer for the Oyo State Command Adewale Osifeso refused to answer calls and text messages sent to him by the reporter.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94