Shops invasion: Please engage traders in peaceful interaction, Governor Abiodun begs customs

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has pleaded with the operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for peaceful interaction between them and the traders regarding complaints of invasion of shops and warehouses in markets across the state.

Penpushing reports that Abiodun made the appeal while receiving the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, in his office in Abeokuta, following complaints by traders accusing Customs officers of breaking into their shops and warehouses in a bid to search for smuggled goods.

The Governor stressed that while there are bound to be some unscrupulous individuals who could be found wanting over the issue of smuggling, he insisted that the majority of the people in the state are law-abiding.

Penpushing further reports that Abiodun emphasised that for the purpose of peaceful engagement and economic development in the state, there is a need for peaceful interaction between the security agency and the traders.

‘There is an issue of paramount importance I want to discuss with the CG; it is about our market women and men. I don’t know how they got to know that you are coming here today, but they have bitterly complained that your men break into their shops and warehouses while looking for smuggled goods. They were even planning to come and protest here’, he stated.

“I want to say that our people in the state are law-abiding. I am not saying that there are not some unscrupulous people who could be committing this crime, but the majority of our people are doing legitimate business. I want the Comptroller General to address this issue and talk to his officers in the state to be civil in their operations and engagement with our market women and men’, Abiodun added.

Penpushing also reports that Comptroller General in his response, frowned upon any form of invasion of markets, expressing his disappointment over the issue as he promised to look into the matter for redress.

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