Senate orders crackdown on bandits flaunting crime cash on TikTok

Lagos, Lagos State – By Prime Brief Media

The Nigeria Customs Service has paraded one of its officers who was caught in a viral video demanding up to N200,000 from a motorist along the Lagos-Benin expressway. The incident, which trended on social media for days, triggered public outrage and prompted the Comptroller-General of Customs to order an immediate investigation.

At a media briefing on Friday, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Chief Superintendent Abdullahi Maiwada, said the officer had been identified, arrested, and subjected to an orderly room trial. He confirmed that the officer's actions were in clear violation of the Service's code of conduct and standard operating procedures.

"The Nigeria Customs Service does not condone extortion or any form of misconduct by its officers. The officer in the viral video has been paraded and will face the full weight of our disciplinary mechanisms. We are also liaising with relevant law enforcement agencies to determine whether criminal prosecution is warranted," Maiwada said.

He added that the Service had launched a broader internal review of conduct at checkpoints along major highways, where complaints of extortion and harassment by Customs officers have been persistent.

Motorists and civil society groups have welcomed the swift action but called for systemic reforms rather than isolated sanctions. "Parading one officer is not enough. The entire checkpoint system needs to be overhauled to remove opportunities for extortion," said Kabiru Aliyu of the Citizens Advocacy Centre.

Prime Brief Media will continue to track security and rescue efforts across the state as this story develops.

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