Head of the Congress of All Progressives (APC) and candidate for governor of the Allied Movement in the state of Ogun, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade reacted to the alleged killing of three people by stray bullets said to have been fired by Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) men in the state of Ayetoro State on Tuesday.
DAILY POST OFFICES reported on Tuesday that there was a clash between customs officers and some suspected smugglers when the NCS was in the Kikelomo area of Ayetoro to evacuate imported rice bags from the building.
The shootings were said to have been fired by customs officers, and this allegedly led to deaths and injuries among innocent people.
In a statement made available to the DAILY POST on Wednesday by his media aide Azeez Adelani, Akinlade threatened that the NCS would be withdrawn for extrajudicial killings before the International Criminal Court, the United Nations and other global agencies if those behind the alleged killings were not brought. in line until January 21, 2021.
Akinlade, an indigenous man from Yewa country in Ogun West Senatorial district, called for “an urgent stop to the killing of innocent residents by men from the Nigerian customs service”.
According to the former MP, “it is high time that the people of the Yewa Kingdom take their destinies into their own hands and approach the UN, the ICC and other related global bodies for payment.”
He said it was now clear that the state government would not act.
He said, “If by Monday, January 21, 2021, those responsible for this murder are not registered, we will begin the process of addressing external justice bodies, which is in our rights as global citizens.”
Akinlade recalled that while he was in the National Assembly between 2015 and 2019, he drew the attention of the parliament to several such murders.
He said that not only had the Chamber initiated his proposal, the cases had been referred to the Chamber’s Public Appeals Committee.
However, he expressed disappointment that “the whole effort is frustrated by the NCS and its leadership”.
Triple A, as he is fondly called, believes that such killings will not stop unless they are brought before a global court.
“If individuals are not prosecuted for extrajudicial killings and put on international lists, nothing will change.
“People from NCS know big players in smuggling circles. In short, they dine with them and wine. These men are not ghosts but cowards who illegally earn from the blood of innocent inhabitants.
“My sincere hope is that one day the NCS will have brave officers in its ranks who will be able to go in search of real smugglers and end this senseless killing of innocent men, women and children from Ogun.
“The Nigerian has borders in 105 local governments in 21 countries. How many such murders do we record in other states or LGs? Do they say the NCS has two different codes of engagement in the northern and southern parts of the country?
“The state government must gather the courage to declare itself or what the leadership is talking about when attending FEC meetings?” It is the fault of all those who are able to stop this murder, but decide not to act. “
“We hereby invite all the sons and daughters of the land of Eve to stand up and speak in one strong voice, saying: ENOUGH OF THESE MURDER!” Akinlade said aloud.