Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) shot dead a two-year-old girl in Ogun State, Vangaurd reports.
It was gathered that the incident happened on Thursday, Jan. 13, at Itawaya, near the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, when the NCS men were on the trail of some suspected smugglers.
The child was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead having lost too much blood.
According to the report, the incident occurred while President Muhammadu Buhari was commissioning projects in other senatorial districts of the state.
Photos from the scene show the child with gunshot injuries near her armpit.
It was gathered that a man also sustained gunshot injuries in the incident that raised tension among residents of the area.
A source told : “Those customs officers thought he was smuggling rice, so they opened fire on him. It was one of the stray bullets that killed the child and also inflicted injuries on the mother.
“It was after they committed the murder that they realized the man they were chasing was not with rice. That’s what we face here all the time.
“Unfortunately, it happened the day President Buhari was in other zones of the state to commission projects. May God rescue us.”
Speaking on the incident, the NCS in Ogu 1 Area command, Ahmed Oloyede, confirmed the incident.
He said the command is saddened with the ugly development, adding that investigation has commenced into the incident.
Oloyede said: “We are sad and devastated that this happened in the line of duty. It is not our joy. This incident is highly pathetic.
“We sympathise with the family of the minor and the command is making efforts to contact them.
“The Controller has also ordered investigation into the incident towards putting an end to similar incidents going forward.”
