About three vehicles were set ablaze by angry youths protesting against the killing of a commercial motorcyclist by a suspected smuggler in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The incident was said to have halted commercial activities and left motorists stranded on the old Lagos-Abeokuta expressway for about an hour.
It was learnt that the suspected smuggler, who was seen driving recklessly to avoid being caught by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service in Itori, rammed into the motorcyclist, killing him instantly.
The suspect was said to have fled after killing the rider on Friday.
A source disclosed that the irate youths attempted to burn down a hotel allegedly used by some customs officers before the intervention of some policemen.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, however, said 13 persons were arrested over the violent demonstration.
He said the police had yet to confirm whether the suspected smuggler was being chased by the customs before he killed the motorcyclist.
Oyeyemi said, “Yes, there was a riot at Itori. A vehicle belonging to smugglers rammed into an okada rider and killed him on the spot. People at the scene of the incident had the belief that the vehicle was being chased by customs officers. That was how they went on a rampage. They caused a serious crisis.
“They set about three vehicles on fire. There is a hotel at Papa where they said customs officers usually lodged in. They went there and made efforts to burn the hotel. But the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has gone there with the DC Operations and other officers of the Command. Calm has been restored,” “We have made some arrests. We have been warning people to desist from taking laws into their hands. If anything happens, you cannot just go on a rampage and believe you can destroy people’s property. Some arrests have been made and we are going to make an example of those arrested.”
Contacted for his reaction to the development, the spokesperson for the NCS, Ogun 1 Area Command, Ahmed Oloyede, said the agency was not aware of the incident.