Customs Confirms Death of Officer in Katsina, Declines Comment on Circumstances

The Katsina Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has confirmed the death of one of its officers but declined to provide details about the circumstances surrounding the incident or to confirm reports that he was found dead in a hotel room.

Although online reports identified the deceased as Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) Lawal Tukur, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, B. Musa, said the service was informed of the officer’s death by his family but had not received official details regarding where or how he died.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Musa said when asked about the reported circumstances. “All I know is that the officer died. We were informed by his family that he passed away. They did not tell us where he died or what happened.”

When questioned further on whether the family had disclosed the cause of death or the hospital where the body was taken, Musa said, “I don’t know. They didn’t tell us.”

He confirmed, however, that the deceased officer had since been buried according to Islamic rites.

The Customs spokesperson added that the officer was a native of Katsina State but declined to provide further details, explaining that the command was still compiling official records.

According to media reports, the late officer was found dead on Wednesday at Murjani Hotel in the Katsina metropolis.

Hotel staff reportedly discovered his body at about 8:30 a.m., with “empty sachets of suspected substances” allegedly found in a waste bin.

The reports further claimed that three women — identified as Khadija Ali (34), Aisha Lawal (30), and Hafsat Yusuf (22) — were at the hotel at the time of the incident.

Two were said to have lodged with the deceased overnight, while the third reportedly joined later.

The officer’s body was said to have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Katsina, where he was confirmed dead and later deposited for autopsy.