6th February, 2024
The Nigeria Customs Service says it was not in any way involved in the circumstances leading to the death of a teenager at the Jibia Border Area of Katsina State on Saturday.
It was alleged by residents of the community that the driver of a commercial vehicle (a J5 Peugeot) who assumed he was being chased by customs officials had rammed into the boy. This happened on Saturday.
But on Monday, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, released a statement to deny the involvement Customs officials while extending the service’s condolences to the family of the deceased.
He said: “Our attention has been drawn to the devastating loss of a young life in the Jibia Border Area of Katsina State on Saturday, February 3, 2024. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the innocent teenager whose life was tragically cut short”.
Adding, he said: “It is pertinent to address the misinformation circulating in the media regarding the reported killing of the teenager by a reckless driver of a J5 vehicle. The Federal Operations Unit Zone B, headquartered in Kaduna, covers 10 states plus the FCT, including Katsina, where the Jibia border is situated.
He said “We wish to clarify that our operatives neither drove the J5 vehicle nor intercepted it during the reported incident, contrary to some press allegations of the involvement of our officers. Preliminary reports revealed that the J5 vehicle was transporting soya beans, and the driver is currently in police custody pending further investigation,”