The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said its officers were “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”.
SHIPS & PORTS reported on Monday that a 14 year-old-boy named Mushin Ibrahim was killed on Saturday when a bus being chased by officials of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone B of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) rammed into bystanders in Jibia, Katsina State.
The incident occurred at about 11am around Tudun Wada Primary School, Tashar Huraira, Jibia.
The customs officers, according to eyewitnesses, ran away from the scene after the incident without rendering any form of assistance to the victim.
The driver of the J5 bus, which ran into the bystanders, claimed that he did not have contraband items in his vehicle. He said he was only transporting soybeans from Batsari to Jibia, both within Katsina State.
The teenager’s father confirmed that he was on the farm when news of the incident got to him
“When I reached the scene, he was already dead. His body was severely damaged by the vehicle,” he said.
Musa said his son’s corpse was taken to a police station in Jibia from where it was taken to a hospital in the area.
“I want the government to do justice to us, the Customs officials caused this because they were chasing a vehicle in a populated place like Jibia,” the bereaved father said.
“The situation in Jibia is becoming confusing because we don’t know what the customs officials are supposed to stop. Even if you bring in goods from Katsina or Kano, they stop and ask you for a bribe. If you refuse to give them they will seize the goods and say it is contrabands,” the Chairman of the Jibia Peoples Forum, Gide Dahiru, had said.
However, customs spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement sent to SHIPS & PORTS on Monday extended condolences to the family of the deceased but denied the involvement customs officials in the incident.
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.
“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.
“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.”
