Customs personnel lynched by angry mob in Katsina
AN angry mob of travellers, yesterday, lynched personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS) in Kaita Local Council of Katsina State.
The Guardian learnt that the incident occurred close to the Dankama border community, along the Katsina- Kaita road early Wednesday morning.
It was gathered that an articulated vehicle loaded with both goods and passengers, was moving from Katsina town to Dankama when Customs officials at one of their outposts ordered the vehicle to stop. However, the driver of the articulated vehicle was said to have ignored the stop order momentarily, an action which prompted one of the Customs personnel to fire some shots with his gun at the moving vehicle. "A bullet struck one of the passengers in the hips and he began to bleed profusely. The driver of the vehicle then stopped the car shortly after," a source familiar with the incident said.
He added: "When the passengers saw that one of them had been shot, they all came down and accosted the Customs officials. They were able to identify the official that fired the shots. "An argument ensued and before you know it, the passengers descended on the customs official and beat him to death. The rest of the Customs officials fled the scene shortly before the incident happened.”
Another source identified the passenger who was shot in the hip as Bashir Na- Bunzawa, 27, a resident of Unguwar Zanguna in Kastina metropolis.
He, however, said that NaBunzawa was rushed to the hospital for treatment, but later succumbed to his injury after efforts to revive him by doctors failed. Spokesperson for the NCS in the state, Tahir Balarabe, who confirmed the incident, said mob action at one of their outposts led to the killing of the Customs' official.
"As you are talking to me now, you can hear the sound of sirens. We have gone to retrieve the corpse of the officer who was killed and make arrangements for his burial," he added.
He, however, did not disclose the name and rank of the deceased personnel, adding that a statement would later be issued on the incident to newsmen.