Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has pleaded with the operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service to be civil with market women and men regarding complaints of invasion of shops and warehouses in markets across the state.
Traders in the state had accused Customs officers of breaking into their shops and warehouses in a bid to search for smuggled goods.
The governor, according to a statement on Sunday from his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, made the appeal while receiving the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, in his office.
Abiodun 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.
He explained 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.
“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 averred.
In his response, the Customs boss frowned upon any form of invasion of markets, expressing his disappointment over the issue as he promised to look into the matter for redress.