Driver Killed During Customs Anti-Smuggling Operation in Osogbo – Police Investigate
Chukwu Obinna 
OSOGBO, Nigeria – Police in south-west Nigeria are investigating the fatal shooting of a driver during an anti-smuggling operation involving officers of the Nigeria Customs Service in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.
Authorities confirm that two Customs officers are in police custody following the incident in the Dada Estate area on Sunday. The officers, identified as Kolawole Suuti and Danjuma Samuel, allegedly opened fire while pursuing vehicles suspected to be transporting smuggled foreign-used cars.
According to police, the driver of an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla was struck by gunfire and later pronounced dead at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital.
“The driver was rushed to the hospital but was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi says in a statement.
Investigators recovered a Beretta pistol with breech number 125024, eleven rounds of 9mm live ammunition and a spent 9mm shell from the scene. Two vehicles believed to be connected to the chase — a white Toyota Corolla with Lagos registration AAA 400 GQ and another ash-coloured Corolla — are also impounded.
Police confirm that ballistic materials from the firearm have been submitted for forensic analysis by detectives at the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department.
Officials say the probe will determine whether the officers followed operational rules governing the use of firearms.
In Abuja, Force Public Relations Officer DCP Anthony Okon Placid calls for calm and urges the public to avoid speculation.
“Both the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Customs Service are committed to ensuring justice for the deceased,” Placid says.
He adds that the investigation is focused on individual accountability, not inter-agency conflict.
Police extend condolences to the victim’s family and assure the public that “anyone found culpable will face the full weight of Nigerian law.”
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