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The Katsina Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has confirmed the death of one of its officers but declined to comment on reports that he died in a hotel after lodging with three women.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, B. Musa, who spoke briefly with PREMIUM TIMES on the phone, confirmed the officer’s death but said the command was only informed of the development by the deceased’s family.
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“Well, I don’t know about that,” Mr Musa said when asked about the reported circumstances surrounding the incident.
“All I know is that the officer died. We know about this one. We have just been informed by his family that he died. So, about his whereabouts and where he died — whatever — they did not inform us.”
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When asked if the family disclosed what led to the officer’s death, he replied, “I don’t know. They didn’t tell us.”
He also said he could not confirm whether the officer’s remains were deposited at a hospital as reported in the media.
“I don’t know about that one,” he said.
Mr Musa, however, confirmed that the officer had been buried.
“I think it is today because we just had the information that our officer died and was buried according to Islamic rites. This is what I know,” he stated.
When pressed further on the identity of the deceased, the Customs spokesperson confirmed that the late officer was an indigene of Katsina State. “Yes, he is from Katsina,” he said.
However, he did not disclose the officer’s full identity or service details, insisting that the command was still handling internal documentation.
“We are still putting the records together. Please, I don’t have time for more questions now,” he added before ending the call.
A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, had earlier reported on his online platform that the deceased was identified as Lawal Tukur, an assistant superintendent of customs (ASC).
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According to the report, he was found dead on Wednesday at the Murjani Hotel in the Katsina metropolis.
The platform said hotel staff discovered the officer’s lifeless body in his room at about 8:30 a.m., with “empty sachets of suspected substances” allegedly found in a waste bin.
Three women — identified as Khadija Ali, 34; Aisha Lawal, 30; and Hafsat Yusuf, 22 — were reportedly in the hotel at the time of the incident. Two of them were said to have spent the night with the deceased, while the third allegedly joined later.
The report added that the body was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Katsina, where the officer was confirmed dead and the body deposited for autopsy.
