Residents of Ayobo in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have appealed to the Police and Customs authorities to check the increasing activities of smugglers in the area.
They made the plea in separate interviews in Lagos on Friday.They said the speed with which the smugglers daily moved their contraband-filled vehicles through the area posed threats to lives, urging the relevant authorities to take appropriate actions.
“We are tired of these smugglers and what they are doing in this area. They move their convoy of vehicles en route this area to their destinations in top speed without regard for lives.
“A trader was almost knocked down by one of them last week. The Police and Customs should act fast to stop the menace“ a resident of Megida in Ayobo, Mr Adewale Saheed said.
Saheed said the smugglers used communities in the area because of their easy access to Idiroko, a community bordering the Republic of Benin in Ogun State.
According to him, the smugglers usually route contrabands like frozen chicken, vehicles, rice and machine spare parts through the area.
He said the customs needed to pay more attention to the area by increasing their patrols to check the increasing threats.
An official of Ipaja Residents Association, Mr Tunde Akilapa, said he was shocked to see the smugglers drove recklessly through the area on a particular day like dare-devil armed robbers.
“The day I saw these people, I nearly ran for dear life because I had thought they were armed robbers.
They were in a procession of about seven vehicles and the way they were speeding was dangerous.“I think these people should be checked. Because If they knock anybody downI am not sure they would show any care,” he said.
Another resident, Mr Emeka Duru, said he had seen the customs patrolled through Command Road and around Church bus stop but was surprised that they had never deterred the smugglers.
“The Customs should be up and doing. If you keep on patrolling and these people keep on doing their business unhindered, it means something is wrong.
“The Customs should properly man the escape routes of these saboteurs to put a stop to their illegal activities,” he said.
A resident of Igbogila, Ayobo, Mr Wale Adelakun, said the activities of the smugglers constituted acts of economic sabotage.
He urged the relevant authorities to respond to the problem to ensure that the smugglers did not continue to harm the economy.
