APFFLON condemns incessant attacks on Customs operatives, seeks death penalty for smugglers  

The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has expressed sadness over incessant attacks on operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service by smugglers.

Operatives of the NCS at Kebbi Command were on the 26th of August, brutally attacked by  smugglers resulting in the death of two officers while others escaped death by the whiskers in a similar attack in Katsina.

In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi Customs Command, Mubarak Mustapha, the attack on the operatives led to the death of two officers.

In a related development, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, Kaduna, Isah Suleiman, said that Customs operatives who were on legitimate patrol duties at the Dankama Area of Katsina State were also attacked.

Reacting to the development, APFFLON National President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, expressed sadness over the attacks on Customs operatives urging the Federal Government to deploy technology in the fight against smuggling.

Ogunojemite, during a media chat in Lagos on Wednesday said it’s high time smugglers who brutally attack and kill officers started facing capital punishment.

He condemned what he described as avoidable loss of officers manning Nigerian borders, noting that if adequate security measures were in place, most of the crimes committed on daily basis would have been curbed drastically.

Speaking, he said, “It is quite unfortunate that the Nigeria Customs keep losing its personnel in a series of attacks at border points. Men and officers that have families and loved ones like every other Nigerian lose their precious lives as a result of ambush and armed attacks by smugglers The world has continued to evolve as technology is being deployed in the fight against crimes. The Federal Government should do all it could to stop this worrisome trend.

“The Federal Government should invest heavily in technology, the fight against crimes requires a whole lot, countries are deploying Artificial intelligence (AI) to curb crimes.

“A robust relationship between the Joint Force Border Patrol heads and border Communities is very key as intelligence gathering remains one of the most efficient measures in frustrating the activities of smugglers and curbing other security crimes.

“The management of the Nigeria Customs must take its insurance policy very seriously. Personnel who die in active service or sustain physical or bodily injuries at their duty posts should be adequately taken care of. They must not be abandoned to their fate; they must not be deprived of their rights and privileges while their families are left to suffer”.

“For one to put his life on the line in service to the motherland is a show of patriotism and absolute loyalty. Those who take up these huge tasks must be adequately equipped and taken good care of,” Ogunojemite stated.