Pregnant woman hit by customs officer’s bullet

A pregnant woman has been hit by the bullet shell of customs officers who shot in the air to disperse a mob.

The incident, which happened early hours of Thursday at Ota, Ogun State, left the woman, identified as Mrs. Ogunlana, hospitalised.

According to an eyewitness, Olugunna Bukola, the eight months pregnant woman became a victim when customs officers shot in the air to disperse a mob trying to prevent them from arresting a suspected “Tokunbo” car driver.

Mrs. Ogunlana, who is said to be a staff of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, was hit by the bullet shell at the upper shoulder.

She is said to be responding treatment.

Speaking on the incident, the Customs Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ Lagos spokesman, Jerry Attah, said the woman was alive and is doing fine.

“I have called the OC in charge there, he confirmed the incident. The woman has been taken to the hospital for treatment.

“Our officers have gone there and her hospital bill will be taken care of by the customs. We thank God that the incident was not a fatal one,” Mr Attah told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview.

Narrating how the incident occurred, Mr. Attah said it was while the Comptroller General of Customs compliance team was trailing a “Tokunbo” car to Ota that the mob attacked them.

“While trying to disperse the mob through gun shots in the air the bullet shell hit back of her upper shoulder. She is not dead.”

This latest incident happened a day after a bus conductor was killed allegedly by a bullet shot by a customs officer.

The bus was reported to be carrying several bags of suspected smuggled rice and tried to evade customs officers.

While trying to arrest the suspect, according to eyewitness report, the mob pounced on the customs officers who shot in the air to disperse the crowd.

One of the gunshots hit the victim leading to his death, witnesses said. The customs, however, claimed no one was killed in the Wednesday incident.

“I know people’s reaction today is as a result of the Abule Egba incident yesterday,” Mr. Attah said. “They are not happy and that is why they want to use today’s incident against us by peddling rumours that the woman was shot dead.”

Police at Obasanjo farm police station, Ota, have reportedly taken the customs officer to the station. The police in Ogun are yet to react to the incident.