Real estate entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Ambassador (Dr) Babatunde Adeyemo, says he has forgiven the trigger-happy operative of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), who recently shot at his vehicle.

Adeyemo, who is also the founder of Okó Opó Foundation, disclosed  on Thursday evening in his Estate office in Abeokuta, shortly after a meeting with senior officials of NCS  over the shooting incident.

He disclosed that he had asked the erring operative "to go and sin no more," even as he also pleaded with the NCS and its leadership to give the officer a "second chance" and "not relieve him of his job" over the professional misconduct.

It will be recalled that Adeyemo narrowly escaped death along the Ibara-Orile area of Ogun State on December 8, 2024 when a gun-totting Customs operative shot at his vehicle while returning from the grand finale of the Ibese Asakanran Day festival.

The businessman subsequently protested the near-fatal shooting incident, threatened a legal action against the NCS and demanded N50million in compensation.

The erring Customs officer had been in detention since December 8, 2024 when the incident occurred.

But speaking after the conciliatory meeting in  Pelican Valley Estate, Laderin, Abeokuta, Adeyemo informed that he had resolved not to demand compensation anymore and leave the matter to God who saved him from the jaws of death.

He recalled that initially when he visited the Ikeja office of the NCS, he wanted the agency to replace his damaged car and laptop with heavy compensation but later changed his mind.

"In a country where many youths are either into Yahoo or planning Japa, we need to continue to encourage those who are willing to work legitimately. Hence, we don't have to throw away the baby with the bath water. Blessing, I believe, had learnt his lessons. He should go and sin no more," the Pelican boss said.

Adeyemo, however, slammed the Customs Public Relations Department for allegedly displaying lackadaisical attitude towards such image-denting incident, saying he elected to overlook the matter afterwards out of sheer pity for the young erring operative.

The real estate entrepreneur noted that there was no way he could successfully hold the NCS as an entity to account for the shooting without the culprit being fully dragged along with his employers.

Adeyemo expressed his dissatisfaction with the Customs PR Department after the first meeting in Lagos, saying the unit was not strategic towards salvaging the poor public perception of the organisation among Nigerians.

He urged the NCS to scout for Nigerians of integrity and honest living as its civilian brand ambassadors, so as to inspire good behaviour and promote positive values among the youths, adding that the agency should prioritise public awareness campaigns over enforcement alone. He noted that the Customs can only generate more revenue through compliance.

In his remarks, an Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Mr. Olabode Akinola, did not mince words in clarifying that NCS does not condone any form of indiscipline or misconduct.

According to him, any officer found culpable of wrongdoing receives appropriate sanction, including dismissal and possible prosecution, depending on the gravity of the matter and level of such officer.

Another officer, Mr. Adejumo Gafar, who also spoke at the meeting, explained that the Customs delegation came to plead on behalf of the erring operative and that the outcome of the parley will determine his fate.

At the end of the engagement, the NCS officials pledged the readiness of the law enforcement agency to support Okó Opó Foundation in its agenda to uplift the widows, children and the less privileged members of the society.