Two residents, Taofeek Olatunbosun and Rafiu Abdelmalik, were severely beaten by officers of the Nigerian Customs Service and military personnel at a checkpoint along the Badagry-Seme Expressway on Sunday, December 1, 2024, after being caught recording a video.
The security operatives suspected the victims of working as informants for journalists covering smuggling activities on the road. Olatunbosun and Abdelmalik, both transporters, had stopped to refuel and were attempting to update their customers about their location when the incident occurred.
Olatunbosun explained to Vanguard, “We were on our way to Apa when we stopped at a fuel station. My customer kept asking where we were, so I asked my assistant to record a video to send to him. Suddenly, someone tried to grab the phone from my assistant, which caught the attention of the officers at the checkpoint. They accused us of recording videos for journalists investigating smuggling activities.”
The officers then took the two men to a nearby location and contacted Officer Adamu Zakari, a soldier, who arrived and allegedly recognized Olatunbosun, even mentioning knowing his brother.
Despite this, he reportedly threatened to kill Olatunbosun’s brother if he ever saw him again.
The situation escalated when Zakari expressed disbelief at their story and suggested that they should have been killed and dumped in the water, leading to a violent beating.
Abdelmalik, the second victim, added, “I was just following my boss’s orders. One of the smugglers working with the security operatives slapped me and tried to take my phone. We were dragged to a secluded spot near the checkpoint where the officers tortured us, demanding to know which journalists we were planning to send the video to.”
The victims were only saved when nearby residents, alarmed by the brutality, called the police.
Abdelmalik said, “If the residents hadn’t intervened, they would have killed us.” It was later revealed that the same officers had previously warned journalists in Badagry not to report on smuggling activities.
This incident follows an exposé by journalist Fisayo Soyombo, which highlighted the alleged involvement of the Nigerian Customs Service in facilitating smuggling along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
Soyombo’s investigation showed Customs patrol vehicles at checkpoints allowing smugglers to pass freely with goods like rice, chicken, and turkey, while also raising concerns about the possible trafficking of illicit drugs or weapons.
In response to the incident, Abdullahi Hossein, the Public Relations Officer for the Seme Border Customs, assured Vanguard that the officers involved would be immediately withdrawn from the checkpoint.
He added, “What they did does not represent our values, and we take full responsibility for their actions.” Regarding the involvement of military personnel, Hossein said, “Because of the sensitive nature of some patrols, we have military personnel working with us. I’m not certain if they were involved in this incident, but we will take responsibility and urge the victims to contact us.”
