By Dare Akogun
Unknown gunmen has killed one officer attached to the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 3 ASCI Saheed Aweda and injured three others along Sinau-Kenu road in Baruten LGA of Kwara State.
A statement issued on Monday by the Public Relations Officer Kwara Customs Area Command, Chado Zakari stated that the operatives were on informational patrol before the attack last Friday.
According to him, ” The patrol team intercepted forty bags of foreign parboiled rice 50kg each and Thirty jerry cans of premium motor spirit (PMS) 25 each litres abandoned in the bush paths, along Sinau-Kenu Road.
“The operatives immediately swung to action and evacuated the Seized items into their operational vehicles for onward delivery to Government Warehouse for safe keeping in line with rules of engagement, while on transit; a group of hoodlums laid ambush and attacked the personnel.
“In the fiery exchange that ensued, one of our officers succumbed to the cold hands of death, while three officers sustained life threatening injuries and are currently responding to treatment in the hospital,” it stated.
The deceased according to the statement has been buried according to Islamic right in his home town, Popogbona in Ilorin West Local Government of Kwara State.
Zakari disclosed that Comptroller Olugboyega Peters, Representatives of DSS, Nigeria Police, Office off the National Security Adviser , National Intelligence Agency, Immigration and other security agencies have visited the family of the deceased to commiserate with the family.
The sector however commended the patriotic roles of sister Agencies and law abiding citizens in assisting the sector to perform its lawful duty of implementing partial closure of our land borders in the interest of our dear country.
The statement also said security agencies have since restored normalcy in the area while the contraband items were moved to the sector Headquarters, Ilorin for safe keeping.”
It added that the Coordinator Joint Border Patrol Team Comptroller Olugboyega Peters has ordered a full scale investigation to fish out the criminals who perpetuated the act.
“This trend of unprovoked attacks by faceless cowards whose intention is to instill fear in the minds of law enforcement operatives shall not go unpunished. Neither will it dampen the resolve of officers and men from carrying out their statutory functions.
“We wish to categorically state that we will continue to prosecute the anti-smuggling crusade in spite of the unwarranted attacks,” it stated.
