Olayomi Koiki

Lagos – Some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to Seme Command in Lagos State on Thursday night brutalised a resident simply identified as Opemipo for refusing to give them a bribe.

Opemipo, a trader who imports solar gadgets said he was on his way to get his newly imported products from China to his shop when he was stopped by customs officers at the Oloko checkpoint in Badagry, Lagos State.

He told investigative news outlet, Sahara Reporters that the corrupt officers demanded money from him despite having acknowledged that his goods had been cleared at the port.

According to him, the customs officers insisted that he would not be allowed to leave the checkpoint until he paid the money demanded.

“But I refused to pay them any money because I don’t see any reason to pay them any bribe,” Opemipo said.

He said that the corrupt officers offloaded his goods from the vehicle following his refusal to pay the bribe.

“It was at this stage I decided to begin to video them and this made them angry and started chasing me with guns. They caught me because I was afraid that they might release a bullet. They took me back to the checkpoint and beat me brutally.

“They destroyed my properties including my Apple iWatch that I bought for N330,000. I was saved by the swift intervention of one of their senior officers who asked them to leave me and I left the checkpoint with injuries and my damaged properties,” Opemipo added.

The customs officers assaulted Opemipo and tried to seize his phone, according to a video recorded at the scene and sent to Sahara Reporters.

In the video, Opemipo said: “You attacked me. I was attacked by a customs officer, he asked for bribe. I didn’t give him money. He asked for bribe, I didn’t give him, then he attacked him.”

“They wanted to shoot me and I did not do anything,” he said while running for his life in the video.

The New York-based publisher reported that the national spokesperson for the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada referred it to the Seme Command spokesman for comments on the incident.

When contacted, Seme Command spokesman, Hussein Abdulahi, condemned the conduct of the officers involved.

Abdulahi added that the culprit had been identified and summoned by the command for appropriate sanctions.

Recall that a report published on the website of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) website showed that a total of ₦721 billion ($1.26 billion) was paid in cash bribes to public officials in 2023 in Nigeria.

The report followed the findings of the United Nations office on Drugs and Crimes survey in partnership with the NBS.

The report titled “Corruption in Nigeria; Patterns and Trends” noted that an average cash bribe paid was N8,284. This represents an increase from the 2019 nominal figure out at N5754.

It was estimated that $1.26 billion was paid in bribes to public officials in 2023.

Nigerian institutions are widely regarded as being among the most corrupt globally, with a pervasive culture of corruption and impunity hindering effective governance and undermining public trust.

KOIKI Media bringing the world 🌎 closer to your door step