Mustapha Akiyode, the deceased, was shot and killed during an ambush in the Imeko-Afon Local Government Area, a border area known for smuggling activity, along the Ilara–Ijoun axis.

“The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, has announced with deep regret the loss of an officer, Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC I) Mustapha Akiyode who was shot in the line of duty by suspected smugglers in the early hours of Tuesday, 3 February 2026, in an ambush along the Ilara–Ijoun axis in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State,” Customs wrote in a post on its X handle on Friday.

The incident has been characterized as "a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by officers engaged in border enforcement" by Gambo Aliyu, Comptroller of FOU Zone 'A.' 

Speaking at a briefing, Aliyu revealed a new intelligence-driven anti-smuggling strategy that has produced notable operational successes, such as significant drug seizures, valuable interceptions that were prohibited, and improved enforcement results throughout its jurisdiction.

According to him, 144 smuggling efforts involving a variety of illegal and uncustomed products were intercepted as a result of the new approach. In accordance with Nigerian law and international conventions, these include: 6,954 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 77 bags of foreign sugar, 21 used car units, 3,362 vegetable oil jerrycans, 20,700 liters of premium motor spirit (PMS), 915 used clothing bales, 581 used refrigerator compressors, and a 20-foot container of stone-coated aluminum roofing sheets.

A

Source