Akwa Ibom: Two Customs Officers Die In A Hot Pursuit Of Smugglers

The Nigeria Customs Service in the Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has lost two of its officers in an auto crash on Sunday in a hot chase of a vehicle suspected to be conveying smuggled rice.

Other victims were the driver of the vehicle being chased and two other customs officers who sustained various injuries in the crash, but were immediately taken to the hospital.

The event happened at 4:30 pm at the  Eket Oron Road in Oron LGA. 

According to an eyewitness who chose to speak on the condition of anonymity, it was found later that the hot chase ended up being a dead-end chase, as the vehicle was without any rice as suspected by the personnel.

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The eyewitness also said that the customs officers were in a Hilux vehicle and in the hot pursuit, hit the Toyota Sienna car, causing it to tumble a number of times.

“When I inspected the Sienna bus, no single grain of rice was in it. The bus was returning from a church in Oron,” the source said

No comments have been made by the customs command in the state, as they have chosen to not give any.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nnudam Fredrick, stated that the police in Oron were yet to give him any details regarding the incident.

“I have not been briefed by the police in Oron concerning the death of the two customs officers.  I am not in the picture and I am not aware of the incident,” he said.