The Nigeria Customs Service has said that the recent attack by some gunmen at the Ibarapa axis of Oyo state was carried out by some armed smugglers.
The Customs spokesperson, Federal Operations Unit, Theophilus Duniya who made this known in a press statement revealed that three customs officers and a soldier were injured during the attack.
According to the statement, three Customs Officers and a soldier on duty were injured in an unprovoked attack by smugglers in Igbo Ora area of Ibarapa Local Government, Oyo State in the evening hours of Friday.
He said the injured Customs Officers who are operatives of the Zone A, Federal Operations Unit, sighted eight trucks carrying smuggled foreign parboiled rice whose drivers and armed accompanying passengers launched attack on the officers.
He added that one of the attackers was shot and disarmed while the others retreated with their smuggled wares.
The statement also revealed that while investigations are ongoing to arrest and prosecute the attackers, all the attacked Customs Officers and soldier, including one that was shot in the head, are receiving treatment.
While condemning that attack, the Acting Controller of the Unit, DC Usman Yahaya, reiterated the effort of the Service to suppress smuggling activities in the country.
