Two siblings are said to have been killed in Ogun for allegedly smuggling foreign rice, causing chaos in the state.
According to the DAILY POST, the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in Owode, Yewa South Local Government Area, Ogun.
The men were allegedly killed by Nigerian Army operatives.
The officers were said to have approached the older of the two brothers in an attempt to seize his vehicle, which contained bags of foreign parboiled rice.
“In the course of an altercation between the man and the soldiers, some people called his younger brother popularly known as Saheed Elegusi. Saheed rushed to the scene and the two of them were shot dead by the soldiers. We don’t know when soldiers become customs officers,” a source who simply identified herself as Adekemi
After shooting the siblings, the soldiers allegedly fled the scene as angry youths took over the streets in protest.
The mob had set bonfires on the international road between Sango and Idiroko, disrupting vehicular traffic for hours.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident on Monday, saying an angry mob attacked an innocent officer of the Nigerian Air Force, killing him in retaliation.
According to Oyeyemi, the slain Air Force officer was in uniform when he unknowingly ran into the mob that lynched him.
“Yes, the incident happened yesterday. I think it was caused by an argument between them (the two brothers) and the men of the Nigerian Army. We are still investigating.
“But do you know that the people killed an Air Force officer who was just passing on his own? He was just going on his own, he had nothing to do with the crisis. They just mobbed him and killed him because he was in uniform.
“Anyway, an investigation is ongoing. The Commissioner of Police has directed the Homicide section to take over the matter. The situation has been brought under control. The area is calm now. The DPO of Owode and some other policemen were able to move into the scene quickly. But unfortunately, the Air Force officer was killed.”