Some personnel from the Nigeria Customs Service engaged in a physical altercation with Vehicle Inspection officers in Abuja, as revealed in multiple videos obtained by SaharaReporters.
The clash on May 24, 2024, depicted security operatives exchanging punches and welding sticks.
While the exact cause of the violence remains unclear, a narrator in one of the videos denounced the altercation, questioning the actions of the personnel.
“What is this now? Arrest them, can they do it in their office? Can they do what they did in their office? They just entered the office and started to beat the man, Wetin’ happen?” the narrator exclaimed.
When contacted for comments, the National Customs Service Spokesperson (NCSC) Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, claimed ignorance of the situation and pledged to issue an official statement later.
This incident comes on the heels of previous tensions between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Customs Service in 2022. At that time, FAAN accused customs officers of forcefully accessing a restricted area, sparking a Twitter feud between the two agencies.
FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu, condemned the customs officers’ actions, citing threats made by armed escorts and the recurrent abuse of firearms privileges by the NCS.
The clash underscores the ongoing challenges in inter-agency cooperation and security protocol adherence within Nigeria’s law enforcement and regulatory bodies.
“While accessing the gate, the armed escorts to the Comptroller threatened to beat up the AVSEC officers at the gate if they dared resist their assault and breach of security.
‘The blatant abuse of the privilege of bearing firearms by the NCS has become a recurrent threat to the safety and security of our staff and our operations.”
