Ogun monarch petitions IGP over death of farmer allegedly killed by Customs men

A monarch, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu over the alleged killing of farmer, Kehinda Ogunji, by men of the Ogun State Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.

In the petition dated May 10, 2020, Oba Akinyemi, who is the Eselu of Iseluland , Yewa-North Local Government Area of Ogun State, said the young farmer was dastardly killed by customs men while he was returning home from a communal farming with his twin brother at Agbon village.

According to the monarch, Ogunji was killed by a stray bullet fired by the customs officers when they were pursuing some rice smugglers in the community.

The petition reads: “On Sunday, 3rd May, 2020, some Officers of Ogun Area Command 1 of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) who were on the trail of some rice smugglers at Agbon Community in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State killed my subject – Kehinde Ogunji through a stray bullet.

“The deceased,  Kehinde Ogunji was an innocent person because he was just a farmer, not a rice smuggler as accused by the men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

“On that fateful day, Kehinde Ogunji, a husband of two wives and a father of five children was returning home from his farm along with his twin brother.

“Apart from the fact that the deceased’s family and my humble self want justice and adequate care for the wives and children of the deceased, we also requested the Customs Officers to withdraw the statement in the media, where they claimed that the deceased was a rice smuggler. Amazingly, up till now, they have not withdrawn the malicious statement made against an innocent Kehinde Ogunji.

“There is currently an insinuation in the public that the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Police Force is possibly conniving with officers of their sister agency to sweep the matter under the carpet and to also enable the affected Customs officers escape justice.”

Oba Akinyemi urged the Inspector General of Police to bring the customs officers fingered in the gruesome killing of Ogunji  to justice. (The Nation)