Investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, revealed the disturbing incident on his social media platform on Tuesday, where he raised questions about the security of informants working with the law enforcement service.
Three men who reportedly served as informants to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been apprehended, beaten, and dehumanised by suspected smugglers in the Oja-Odan area of Ogun State.
It was gathered that the three men (name withheld) had provided crucial information about smuggling activities to the operatives of Nigeria Customs Service before being targeted by the criminals.
Investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, revealed the disturbing incident on his social media platform on Tuesday, where he raised questions about the security of informants working with the law enforcement service.
Soyombo expressed concerns over how the identities of the informants — who had provided crucial information to the NCS —were leaked.
He challenged the Nigeria Customs Service to explain how the identities of the informants were leaked to the smugglers, leading to the abduction and attack on the informants.
According to Soyombo, the three men were involved in alerting Nigeria Customs Service to the smuggled rice and petrol seized by operatives overnight last Tuesday to Wednesday in Oja-Odan.
"Can you then explain how the identities of these men who tipped you off about the crime became known to smugglers, consequently earning them the beating of their lives?
"What does it say about your supposed anti-smuggling war that tipping you off is no different from tipping smugglers off?
He said, "Who are the Customs officers who snitched on their colleagues and on these men?
"Will you ever find the thugs who dehumanised and tortured their fellow humans in this manner or will they go scot-free?
"Not like we don’t know the answers; there’s a reason I rechristened you the Nigeria Customs Smuggling!," he added.
Meanwhile, in the video posted by the investigative journalist, the three men were seen being beaten mercilessly with wood on their heads and other parts of their bodies.