The Nigeria Customs Service, Kebbi State Command, has reported the killing of two of its personnel in the state on Thursday by gunmen presumed to be bandits.
The state’s Assistant Superintendent of Customs, Mubarak Mustapha, confirmed this in a press statement made available to newsmen in the state on Friday morning.
The squad was on a stop-and-search operation along the Bunza-Dankingari-Koko road when suspected bandits in a Toyota Corolla automobile engaged them in a shootout, according to the statement.
“On Thursday, 24th August 2023, at about 0128hrs, a team of Kebbi Area Command officers and men of the Nigeria Customs, while on a stop-and-search operation based on credible information along Bunza – Dakingari – Koko Road, were engaged with heavy gunfire by suspected bandits in an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle.
“In the melee that ensued, two personnel of the Command, named Alhaji Kabiru Shehu, an Inspector of Customs and Abdullahi Muhammad, a Customs Assistant II, paid the supreme price.
“The officers have since been laid to rest according to Islamic rites.
“While praying for the repose of the deceased, the Command has launched a manhunt for the suspects with the view to arrest and prosecute them”
According to the statement, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Ben Oramalugo, expresses his condolences to the families and prays that God Almighty grants them the strength to bear the loss.
The CAC also encourages members of the public to contribute information regarding the movements of suspected smugglers and other criminals, while promising full confidentiality to such informants.
