Patriotic Customs Officer Crushed To Death While Doing His Job By Army Convoy Allegedly Smuggling Cars Into Nigeria

A patriotic officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Baba Nwaguyawo, was on Friday crushed to death while attempting to stop a Nigerian Army convoy at the Agbara end of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, suspected to be smuggling cars into the country.

The army convoy has been reportedly notorious on that axis in the smuggling of used cars into the country.

It is understood that NCS officers at the Agbara checkpoint had attempted stopping the convoy for a routine search when a Nigerian Army van piloting the fleet rammed Nwaguyawo down.

Mr. Nwaguyawo, with service number 53225, was until his death an anti-smuggling operative of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos. His corpse has been deposited in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital mortuary, Ikeja.

A source said that the four vehicles, suspected to be smuggled with the cover of Army convoy, were two units of Mercedez Benz Sports Utility Vehicle ML 350, one Toyota Venza, and a Mercedez Saloon car.

The source said, “The incident happened on Friday. Actually, three joint units of customs, including the NCS, Seme, Customs Intelligence Unit and Federal Operations Unit, were set to intercept the vehicles which were being piloted by a team of military men, led by Captain A.M. Murnai with Force No. 45EB/15FER with Army operation vehicle no. NA2021B05.

“Each of the smuggled cars had two soldiers in uniforms inside, as an act of subterfuge and deception, with Captain Murnai inside the piloting van.

“At the point of stop-and-search, the military men resisted and forced their way through, knocking down the deceased in order to pave way for the smuggled vehicles to escape. Two of the smuggled vehicles crushed the customs officer simultaneously.”

The culprits, however have been arrested and their official vehicle impounded.

It is understood that they have been moved to the Ibereko Barracks, Badagry, on the instruction of the Commanding Officer, Ibereko Barracks, for further interrogation.

NCS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, confirmed the incident.

He said, “It is true that we lost an officer in that unfortunate incident. Investigations are ongoing by the Army and the NCS authorities.”

The spokesman for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Olaolu Daudu, said the matter was being investigated.

”I am in Badagry now to investigate the matter.”

The mindset of the average military officer in Nigeria is that he is above the law. And in the face of biting economic times, some members of the country’s armed forces have dabbled into criminality.