Customs, Soldiers Brutalize Transporters Over Alleged Video Recording On Badagry-Seme Road

Two transporters, Taofeek Olatunbosun and Rafiu Abdelmalik, suffered brutal attacks by Nigerian Customs Service officers and soldiers at a checkpoint on the Badagry-Seme Expressway on Sunday, December 1, 2024.

Naija News gathered that the incident occurred after they were accused of recording videos suspected to expose alleged smuggling activities in the area.

According to Olatunbosun, the ordeal began when he and his assistant stopped at a fuel station to refuel. While attempting to send a location update to a customer, his assistant started recording the surroundings.

This act drew the attention of officers who accused them of gathering footage for journalists investigating smuggling.

“We were on our way to Apa when we stopped at a fuel station to refuel. My customer kept asking for my exact location, so I asked my assistant to record a video of our surroundings to send to him.

“Suddenly, someone approached my assistant and tried to grab his phone. This attracted the attention of security operatives at the checkpoint. They accused us of recording videos for journalists exposing smuggling activities,” Olatunbosun told Vanguard.

The officers took them to a nearby location, where they contacted their team leader, Officer Adamu Zakari, a soldier.

“When he arrived, he recognized me and mentioned knowing my brother, threatening to kill him the next time he saw him. Despite recognizing me, he still didn’t believe our story. He then asked why the officers hadn’t killed us and dumped our bodies in the water,” Olatunbosun recounted, adding that that was when the brutal beating began.

Abdelmalik, recounting his ordeal, said the officers, joined by suspected smugglers, assaulted them while demanding to know which journalists the video was intended for.

“I was just following my boss’s instructions. One of the smugglers working with the security operatives slapped me and tried to seize my phone.

“They dragged us to a secluded area near the checkpoint, where the officers tortured us, demanding we reveal which journalists we were planning to send the video to.

“If the residents hadn’t called the police, they would have killed us,” Abdelmalik said.

The victims were only saved when concerned residents called the police, halting the abuse.

The incident follows investigative reports by journalist Fisayo Soyombo, which highlighted alleged complicity between Customs officers and smugglers along the Lagos-Badagry corridor.

These reports detailed unchecked transportation of goods like rice, poultry, and even potential contraband through Customs checkpoints.

Responding to the incident, Abdullahi Hossein, Public Relations Officer for Seme Border Customs, stated, “The officers involved will be withdrawn from the checkpoint immediately. What they did does not reflect the values of our organization, and we take full responsibility for their actions.”

On the role of military personnel, Hossein noted, “Due to the volatile nature of some patrols, we have military personnel attached to us. I’m not sure if military officers were involved in this incident, but we take responsibility and urge the victims to reach out to us.”

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