Two Customs Officers attached to Nigeria Customs Office, in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, died in an auto crash on Sunday while pursuing a bus suspected to be carrying smuggled rice.

Two other customs officers including the driver of the bus being chased after sustained injuries during the accident and have been rushed to the hospital for treatment.

It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 4:30 pm, at rue Ita along Eket Oron road in Oron Local Government Area of the state.

An eye witness who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent on Tuesday, that bus the officers were pursuing was later found with no grain of rice in it.

According to him the Hilux car conveying customs “Strike Force Team hit the Sienna bus with registration number APP 784 FM and somersaulted severally times into the air, leading to the death of two officers

“When I inspect the Sienna bus no single grain of rice was on the bus. The bus was returning from a church in Oron,” the source said adding that two other Custom Officers and the driver of the Sienna sustained serious injuries and they have been rushed to the hospital in the area.

However, Customs command in Akwa Ibom State has declined comments on the matter.

When contacted, a source from the Federal Roads Safety command, Akwa Ibom State, said the command is yet to get full information about the incident.

Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nnudam Fredrick said that the police in Oron were yet to brief him.

“I have not been briefed from a police officer in Oron concerning the death of two Custom Officers.
I am not in the picture and I am not aware of the incident in Oron local government area,” Fredrick said.