Ogun Police reacts as Custom seized ‘Police Van’ smuggling rice

The Ogun State police command has denied ownership of a vehicle seized in the state by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Bamidele Makinde, the NCS Controller in Ogun 1 Area Command, informed newsmen on Tuesday that the car with the police registration plate PF 1089 SPY was caught with 27 bags of imported parboiled rice.

According to Makinde, the driver of the vehicle bolted when he saw customs inspectors on the route.

When reached by reporters, Ogun State police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi stated that he was unaware of any NCS seizure of a police van, but promised to look into it.

In an official reaction on Tuesday evening, Oyeyemi said the command would not have loved to join issues with the NCS, saying however, that in order to set the record straight, there is need to make some clarifications.

According to Oyeyemi, “the number plate on the vehicle which is PF 10889 SPY is not a police number plate, as no police vehicle will be numbered in such a manner.”

He expressed dissatisfaction that the NCS, which has unfettered access to the top echelon of the police command, did not contact it to confirm whether it owns the vehicle or not.

He said the NCS “would have contacted the command for detailed information about the vehicle before labelling it as a police vehicle in their press briefing, more so that nobody was arrested with the said vehicle to give credence to their claim.”

“The command hereby wishes to inform members of the public that the said vehicle is not a police vehicle and the number plate on it is fake and the police has nothing to do with it,” Oyeyemi concluded.