- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command has identified and arrested the two officers behind the maltreatment of two men in a viral video.
This was made known by the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Kayode Kolade during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters at Seme-Krake Border on Tuesday, 3 December 2024.
The officers, identified as Thompson Inemugha and Gmira Aboribo, were apprehended following a preliminary investigation.
NPO earlier reported that the officers carried out the assault on the two yet-to-be identified men for recording suspected smuggling activities at Badagry, Lagos.
The footage of the incident, shared on X by investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, showed the men being beaten with belts by the officers.
Reacting to the incident, the CAC, represented by the Deputy Comptroller in charge of enforcement, Istafanus Musa, condemned the act of the officers saying.
He maintained that the action of the erring officers does not reflect the professional practice of the service.
“It does not reflect the professional practice of the service, especially now that the service is committed to holding it’s officers to the highest standard of integrity and professionalism.” He said.
Kolade further noted that the two officers will be handed over to the Customs Police Unit for further investigation.
The CAC disclosed that the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has directed that the officers be taken to the NCS headquarters for full-scale investigation and disciplinary measures.
He, however, requested the complainants to make themselves available to assist in the ongoing investigation while restating the service’s commitment to ensuring transparency in all its operational mandates.