The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has called on the Joint taskforce on Anti-Smuggling, comprising of men of the Nigeria Army and the Nigeria Customs to be more civil in the discharge of their duties.
Abiodun made the call on Tuesday while receiving the General Officer Commanding 81 Division of the Nigeria Army at the governor’s office.
The Governor said his administration had to come in several times to manage the crisis caused by the death of some people of the state as a result of stray bullets from the joint patrol on smuggling.
“Your men are involved with the men of the Nigeria Customs in joint patrol taskforce that prevents smuggling across our border areas, but, what we’ve seen lately is that in the process of trying to contain smuggling, there have been incidences where shots are fired and innocent civilians lose their lives.
“Lately, we’ve had cases of innocent Ogun State indigenes being killed because men of the Nigeria Custom and this taskforce are trying to curb smuggling.
” I know our people are sensitive to this kind of things where school children are coming from or going to school, they get hit by stray bullets, commuters on motorcycles and traders in their shop getting hit by stray bullets, time and time again, this has happened and we have had to come in to manage those situations.
“I will like you to help us look into how we can be more civil in dealing with this issue of smugglers and stray bullets killing our citizens,” he said.
The Governor while urging the joint task force on Anti-Smuggling to be careful while on duty, said that his administration would continue to support the men of the Nigeria Army.
Abiodun who also appreciated men of the Nigeria Army and other law enforcement agencies for standing tall in the wake of the farmers and herdsmen crisis, said his administration will continue to create the enabling environment needed by the security architecture in the state to make the state a safe haven for the people.
Earlier in his response, the General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu, while calling on the Governor to use every channel at his disposal to help the Nigeria Army by supplying them with information, said that they would work hard to curb crime.
“We want you to use every channel available to you to continue to enhance our operations, I know that you have channels of Communication and channels through which information gets to you, I will please request that you use those channels to avail us information, so that we nib any threat in the bud before it becomes bigger,” he said.
