Nigerian customs officers assault NNPC staff over PoS charges

Officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) assaulted staff members at an NNPC filling station in Ota, Ogun State, on Friday, FIJ reports.

The incident began when the officers were asked to pay an additional N100 charge for a transaction via a point-of-sale (PoS) machine.

An eyewitness stated that the officers, who were refuelling their vehicle with N30,000 worth of fuel, were informed that the PoS fee could be avoided by splitting the payment into two transactions of N15,000 each.

This explanation angered the officers, leading to a heated argument.

The situation escalated when one officer of Nigeria Customs struck a male attendant with a gun, causing an injury.

The attendants and customers fled, except for one customer who was beaten and had his phone broken by the officers, who mistakenly thought he was recording them.

The officers demanded to see the manager, who had gone to a nearby police station to report the incident.

Upon her return with four policemen, a discussion ensued between the police team leader and the customs commander.

The police advised the manager to forgive the officers, but she protested, stating her staff had done nothing wrong.

The situation was resolved without further violence, and the customs officers left without purchasing fuel.

FIJ’s attempts to get a comment from the Nigeria Customs Service were redirected to the Ogun State Command for further information.