The Iseyin Elders Council (IEC) on Friday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order the arrest and immediate prosecution of officers and men of the Nigeria Customs that killed five passersby in Iseyin on Sallah day.
IEC in a statement by its Vice-Chairman and former Commissioner for Works and Transport in Oyo state, Alhaji Bolaji Kareem, demanded a probe panel to be instituted while indicted Custom officers should be charged with murder.
The Council berated the Customs men for shooting sporadically while allegedly chasing rice smugglers during which the five victims were shot dead.
“We are tired of killings of innocent harmless, defenceless citizens of Iseyin land and Oke Ogun by blood thirsty, criminals in uniform.
“We are tired of killings of innocent harmless, defenceless citizens of Iseyin land and Oke Ogun by blood thirsty, criminals in uniform. We wondered why it is only in this part of the country that men of Customs and Excise abandoned their duty posts to chase shadow and recklessly massacre our law-abiding innocent people- Iseyin,” the Council stated.
It added: “IEC also called on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state to champion the course of defenceless citizens of Iseyin and Oke Ogun in general being killed in cold blood by men of the Customs and Excise, kidnappers, bandits and herdsmen.”
IEC, however, commiserated with the families of the five victims, the Aseyin of Iseyin land and the people of the town over “the avoidable massacre,” and hoped that the murderers “will be made to face justice.”
