Suspected armed drug traffickers on Thursday launched a brazen attack on operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun I Area Command, during an intelligence-led anti-smuggling operation in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, leaving two officers critically injured.
The incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. at Akokoro area of Iwoye when Customs officers intercepted a 12-tyre truck suspected to be conveying a large cache of illicit drugs and other prohibited items. However, before reinforcement teams could arrive, the suspects reportedly mobilised a large number of armed hoodlums who mounted a coordinated assault on the patrol team.
In a calculated move to frustrate law enforcement, the attackers erected heavy barricades at about nine strategic points along access routes, effectively cutting off reinforcement. They opened fire on the officers and disabled a Customs patrol vehicle by shooting out its tyres, creating what officials described as a highly volatile operational environment.
During the confrontation, two Customs personnel sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving intensive medical care in critical condition. Taking advantage of the barricades and confusion, the smugglers escaped with the intercepted truck.
The development was confirmed in a press statement issued on January 25, 2026, and signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun I Command, DSC Chado Zakari, anipr. He disclosed that investigations have commenced to identify, track and apprehend all those involved in the attack.
Reacting to the incident, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Ogun I Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and a direct assault on the authority of the state. He stressed that violent resistance would not deter the Service from carrying out its statutory responsibility to combat smuggling and safeguard national security.
Afeni also appealed to traditional rulers and community leaders within the Command’s area of responsibility to warn their subjects against smuggling and attacks on security personnel, cautioning that perpetrators would face the full weight of the law.
He assured law-abiding residents of their safety and reaffirmed the Nigeria Customs Service’s unwavering commitment to border security, public health protection and the enforcement of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.