by George Ozalla
Nigeria Customs Service officers in Ogun State were violently attacked by suspected smugglers during an anti‑smuggling patrol on Saturday, January 31, 2026, resulting in one assailant’s death and the seizure of a large consignment of foreign rice, the service has confirmed. Officers of the Ogun 1 Area Command intercepted a convoy of motorcycles transporting 46 bags of foreign parboiled rice along a bush path at Alapoti in Ado‑Odo/Ota Local Government Area and moved the contraband into their patrol vehicle before withdrawing from the scene. As they were leaving, a large mob armed with Dane guns, stones, bottles and other weapons ambushed the team in an apparent attempt to recover the seized items and overwhelm the patrol unit. The officers repelled the coordinated assault after about thirty minutes of intense confrontation. One of the attackers was wounded during the clash and later died, while a suspect who claimed ownership of the rice was arrested and is being held for investigation. The command said the recent spate of violent assaults on its personnel was linked to intensified anti‑smuggling operations and highlighted the determination of criminal elements to resist lawful enforcement and undermine national security. Acting Customs Area Controller Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni condemned the attack as barbaric and an assault on the rule of law, stressing that such resistance would not deter the service from performing its statutory duties and that those responsible would be brought to justice. Two officers wounded in a similar attack last week in Imeko‑Afon Local Government Area remain under medical care following that incident.
