The Katsina Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has confirmed the death of one of its officers, identified as Lawal Tukur, who reportedly died in a hotel room in Katsina after lodging with three women.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, B. Musa, confirmed the development in a phone interview with Premium Times on Thursday, noting that the command was informed of the officer’s death by his family.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Mr Musa said when asked about the circumstances surrounding the incident. “All I know is that the officer died. We have just been informed by his family that he died. So, about his whereabouts and where he died — whatever — they did not inform us.”
When pressed for further details, the customs spokesperson said the family did not disclose what led to the officer’s death and that he could not confirm whether the remains were deposited at any hospital.
“I don’t know about that one,” he said, adding that the late officer had since been buried according to Islamic rites.
“I think it is today because we just had the information that our officer died and was buried according to Islamic rites. This is what I know,” he stated.
Mr Musa, who confirmed that the deceased was an indigene of Katsina State, declined to provide further details about his service record, explaining that the command was still compiling internal documentation.
“We are still putting the records together. Please, I don’t have time for more questions now,” he said before ending the call.
Earlier reports by security analyst Zagazola Makama had identified the deceased as Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) Lawal Tukur. According to the report, Tukur was found dead on Wednesday morning at Murjani Hotel in Katsina metropolis.
Hotel staff reportedly discovered his body around 8:30 a.m. and found empty sachets of suspected substances in the room’s waste bin.
Three women — identified as Khadija Ali, 34; Aisha Lawal, 30; and Hafsat Yusuf, 22 — were said to have been in the hotel at the time of the incident. Two reportedly spent the night with the officer, while the third allegedly joined later.
The remains of the officer were said to have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Katsina, where he was confirmed dead and deposited for autopsy.