By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Comptroller Wale Adenuga and Mr. Yakubu Sulaimon |
Comptroller Wale Adenuga, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Border Command, has demonstrated a firm commitment to accountability by taking decisive and surprising action following an alleged assault on a Badagry resident.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, November 13, 2025, had initially sparked fury and demands for justice after a Customs officer was accused of physically assaulting Mr. Yakubu Sulaimon. The swift response from the command's leadership has now shifted the narrative, highlighting a complex case of mistaken identity and inter-agency accountability.
The controversy came to public light after Mr. David Sunday Aladeotan, the Vice Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Lagos West, raised the alarm on social media. His post detailed how an officer, identified as Ene, was involved in a confrontation with a road user. When the individual fled, Officer Ene, reportedly accompanied by soldiers, entered a nearby community where the situation escalated, leading to the alleged assault of an uninvolved resident, Mr. Yakubu Sulaimon. The account quickly gained traction, putting the conduct of security personnel in the Badagry area under intense scrutiny.
In an exclusive conversation with our correspondent, Mr. Aladeotan revealed the surprising outcome of a high-level meeting convened by Comptroller Adenuga. "Today we were invited for a meeting with the custom officer seated and the victim," Aladeotan stated. It was at this meeting that a critical discovery was made. "We discovered that it was not Ene, the said customs officer, who beat the person, but the soldier at the checkpoint in Yard," he clarified.
Despite the officer's direct innocence in the physical assault, Comptroller Adenuga did not absolve him of all responsibility. Demonstrating a strict disciplinary standard, the Comptroller sanctioned Officer Ene. "He sanctioned the officer in question, Ene, and asked him to be withdrawn from that checkpoint and on suspension for now," Aladeotan confirmed. Furthermore, in a move that underscores inter-agency cooperation, Adenuga demanded the names of the soldiers involved to message their Commanding Officer (CO) for their immediate disengagement from the border post.
In a gesture that community leaders described as "surprising," Comptroller Adenuga also addressed the victim's plight directly and generously. "He asked for the hospital bill of the man and he doubled the hospital bill, which he paid in double," Aladeotan reported. This action, coupled with a pledge for continuous engagement, was seen as a significant step toward healing and building trust between the Customs command and the Badagry community, which has long complained about multiple checkpoints and harassment.
Beyond resolving the immediate case, Comptroller Adenuga seized the moment to align with community concerns. According to Aladeotan, the Customs boss urged youth leaders "not to relent in the fight against multiple checkpoints and the déshumanisation." He assured them of his full support to "fight all illegal activities as far as the custom is concerned." This incident, which began with an act of violence, has culminated in a powerful commitment from the Seme Border Command leadership to foster a more professional and humane