By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta

Pandemonium broke out in Ilashe in Ipokia local government area of Ogun State when some suspected smugglers reportedly chased some officials of Nigerian   Customs Service (NCS) and injured four of   them.

The officials of the NCS were said to have been hospitalised following the serious injuries they sustained in the clash while others were said to have fled the scene.

Sunday   Vanguard gathered that, the incident occurred when some Customs officials stormed a warehouse in Ilashe  and reportedly broke into the warehouse and attempted to evacuate bags of rice suspected to have been smuggled into the country.

But the people of the area resisted, leading to a gun duel between them and   the Customs officials.  In the process, four of the Customs officials were seriously injured.

The affected officials were also said to have lost their guns while their colleagues fled the scene.

Sunday Vanguard  gathered   that three   rifles were snatched from the affected customs officials.

It was further gathered that the rifles were later dumped in the premises of the palace of  a traditional ruler in the area,   Oba  Olurotimi Fagbenro, who handed them over to the Customs in the state.

Confirming the incident,   Customs Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abubakar Uthman, said his men were waylaid by suspected smugglers and attacked four officials.

Uthman said the Customs seized eleven motorcycles, 250 bags of rice during the raid while three suspected smugglers were arrested and have been handed over to the police for investigation.

Meanwhile, Governor Ibikunle Amosun has charged men of the NCS to curb smuggling and ensure that international borders in Ogun are effectively manned.

The governor, who gave the   charge   when the management team of the Customs, led by its Comptroller General, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), paid him a courtesy visit at his Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta office, said this was necessary in order to raise adequate revenue for the country.

Amosun said Ogun is strategic for the success of  NCS because it is the state with the highest number of land borders in Nigeria.

Apart from that, he said Ogun is home to the highest number of industries in Nigeria.

“It is so important for the Customs to be alive to their responsibilities. If the economy must be active, then the Customs must be active,”  Amosun said.

The governor also spoke about how the construction of the Ilara-Ijoun Road, a 110km highway being built by the state government, will go a long way in helping the Customs  in doing its job.

This is because the road runs through the four local governments in Ogun West, the area bordering Republic of Benin.