Nigerians have continued to react to the shooting to death of one Godwin by a Customs officer at the Shagamu interchange along Ijebu Ode, by Lagos-Benin road during a heated argument between the customs officers and passengers of a bus.

While the Customs rose in justification of the sense of duty of the officer claiming the shooting was an accidental discharge, Nigerians took to social media to condemn the act and shred the claim of the Customs. They insist that the gun was cocked as evidenced by the sound when a gun is cocked before the actual shooting.

To cock a gun is to pull back the hammer of a gun in readiness for firing through the pulling of the trigger. Cocking a gun makes a particular noise which was what happened in the case of the killing of Citizen Godwin.

Nigerians demanded independent investigation of the video and the entire incident, calling on the Federal Government to order men of the Customs Service to vacate all roads. “They should be at the border posts not harassing Nigerians on highways. Coming to the highways is an admission of their inefficiency at the borders because all smuggled goods still come through the borders whether through land, sea or by air,” notes Ibrahim Kontagora, who said he has had several encounters with Customs men on Nigeria’s highways.

According to Nollywood legend Don Pedro Obaseki: “This is an outrageous and premeditated killing this morning by a trigger-happy, criminally dangerous custom officer. The Customs & Excise Department has turned into an Army of Occupation on Benin-Lagos Road. He should be arrested and brought to book. Enough is Enough.”

The Nigeria Customs Service in a response Sunday evening tried to shift attention from a premeditated killing to accidental discharge even when the video showed clear evidence that the officer actually cocked the gun. Below is the statement from the NCS.

The attention of Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to a disturbing video going viral with conflicting narratives.

While it is painful and totally unnecessary to loose (sic) life in anti-smuggling operations, today at Shagamu interchange along Ijebu Ode, attempt to obstruct lawful performance of duty by passengers of a commercial bus (a white Toyota Hiace) suspected to be carrying bales of used clothing led to the death of a young man (Godwin) and serious injury of a Customs Officer, ASC1, Destiny Onebamho.

Contrary to some narratives, the young man was not a passenger of the bus but a good citizen who always come to fetch water for Customs Patrol men anytime they return to the base.

Preliminary finding indicate that it was during the skirmishes and struggle to disarm the Officer that the riffle discharged and hit the friend of the Customs (Godwin) who lost his life. The Service is already in touch with the bereaved family.

Sadly, it should be noted that while attention shifted to the dead and the wounded, the passengers who filmed with inciting commentaries boarded their vehicle and left, leaving the wrong impression that it was one of them that was killed.

While the wounded Officer is under intensive care at the hospital, the patrol team has been recalled to the office for further investigation.

DC Joseph Attah

Public Relations Officer

For: Comptroller-General of Customs