Families of victims of five persons allegedly killed on May 13, 2021 in Iseyin area of Oyo state by men of the Nigeria Customs Service have demanded a compensation of N4.5 billion.
This was as even the attention of the House of Representatives Committee on the Customs, which was investigating circumstances leading to the Iseyin killings, drawn to a similar incident that occurred in the Jibia area of Katsina state, during which not less than five persons were allegedly killed, and 15 others critically wounded also by personnel of the NCS.
At the resumed investigative hearing into the developments on Wednesday, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Leke Abejide disclosed that the number of petitions before the panel have showen that NCS personnel on patrol shot and killed five persons in Iseyin community of Oyo State on May 13, 2021 and another several others in Jibia, Katsina State on 9th August 2021.
In response to questions on prayers of the petitioners over the Iseyin killings, legal representative of the victims, Mr Olugbenga Afolabi said that the victims were innocent persons coming from a prayer ground on Eid-El Fitr, and felled by sporadic shots of the Customs men, who were said to be on the trail of a SUV vehicle laden with bags of smuggled foreign rice, saying the families wanted the sum as compensation, which included a N500,000 for a wounded victim.
He explained that the NCS patrol team chased the victims; Yekini Abdullahi, Endless Matthew, Adewale Adesokun and one other man to the border town and shot them, identifying one Sharfa Olawuyi and Okeledu Olusegun as other victims of the reckless shooting.
Also presenting some insights into the Katsina incident, Chairman of the House Committee on Water Resources, Hon. Sada Soli who presented the matter in a motion seeking investigation before the House, said that the NCS patrol vehicle ran over his constituents, killing Five, while 15 others were hospitalized.
Comptroller-General of the NCS, Col.Hammed Ali, represented by Deputy Comptroller General, Investigation and Enforecment, Mr Elton Edorhe said that the Katsina killings were as a result of accident, but argued through through the Legal Assistant of the NCS, Mr U.A Lawal that there was no evidence that the Isyin victims were killed carried out by NCS patrol men, as there were no death certificates, or post mortem reports on the victims.
