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The House of Representatives has asked the Nigeria Customs Service to pay compensation of about N390 million to victims or shooting by men of the Service in Iseyin and Ibarapa areas of Oyo state and Jibia in Katsina state leading to the death of several persons.
Adopting a report of the House Committee on Customs and Excise which investigated the incidents in the three communities, the House also said that officers involved in the incidents should be brought to book.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Leke Abejide said activities of the Customs should be restricted to border areas and not within the town, adding that the killings could have been avoided if the Customs officers had exercise restrain when smugglers they were after ran into the town.
Abejide said while the incident in Jibia, Katsina state could not be blamed solely on the Customs Service since it was a joint operation by Border Drill comprising all security forces, the careless driving of the Customs officers led to the death of several person’s.
The House said “life has no duplicate and cannot be replaced once lost, as such, the families of the deceased should be compensated in monetary terms. Each soul lost at the Iseyin and Igangan (Ibarapa) incidence both in Oyo state should be compensated by the Nigeria Customs Service with the sum of N20 million each while the one who sustained gun shoot wound be given N2 million.
“The officers involved in the acts of killings of innocent Nigerians should be brought to book, prosecuted, and punished accordingly to serve as a deterrent to others.”
The House said each of the ten person’s who died in Jibia should also be compensated with N20 million each, while the 13 persona who sustained injuries be given N2 million each as.comoensation.
It however said that provision should be made for the procurement of ballistic vehicles (Bullet Proof), Bullet Proof Vests and helmets urgently for the Nigeria Customs Service to ensure that they are fully equipped to confront the daredevil smugglers attacking their officers at Border Stations whenever the smugglers opened fire on them.
The House said this would encourage Nigeria Customs Service to be able to curtail smuggling with fewer causalities on their side;
The House also asked the Nigeria Customs Service to aggressively deepen its engagement with traditional rulers, community stakeholders, host communities, relevant trade associations, local police networks, and local security outfits to prevent future loss of lives and property on all sides.
Such engagement, it said will help reduce constant conflict with communities which it has been counterproductive and unsustainable.