Customs Service Bleeds Again, As 2 Officers Down in Drug Traffickers’ Attack,

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has once again come under brutal assault, exposing the sorry state of weak deterrence laws that embolden smugglers and economic criminals to unleash mayhem without fear of consequence.

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, suspected armed drug traffickers staged a coordinated and violent ambush against Customs operatives of the Ogun I Area Command at Akokoro, Iwoye, Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Acting on credible intelligence, officers had intercepted a 12-tyre truck laden with illicit drugs and prohibited items when the criminals mobilized a large gang of hoodlums to resist the operation, the Command Public Relations Officer, Zakari Chado, said in a statement.

In a shocking display of lawlessness, the attackers mounted barricades at nine strategic points, blocked reinforcement, opened fire on the patrol team, and disabled a Customs vehicle by shooting out its tyres, Chado explained. He explained further that two officers who sustained gunshot wounds are currently in critical condition, fighting for their lives under intensive medical care. According to the Command image maker, the traffickers exploiting the chaos, escaped with the said, seized truck.

Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, Acting Customs Area Controller, condemned the attack as barbaric, primitive, and reprehensible, warning that such violent resistance will never deter the Service from its statutory duty of combating smuggling and safeguarding national security. He urged traditional rulers and community leaders to caution their subjects against aiding smugglers, stressing that offenders will face the full weight of the law.

This latest incident underscores the urgent need for constitutional strengthening and tougher anti-smuggling laws. Too often, culprits go scot-free, prosecutions are rare, and convictions rarer still, leaving Customs officers vulnerable to humiliating attacks, sometimes with devastating effects described as worse than death.

The Nigeria Customs Service has vowed to track, apprehend, and prosecute all those involved in this heinous assault. But beyond promises, the nation must decisively rework its deterrence framework to ensure that such uncultured acts of violence against law enforcement are no longer tolerated.