Two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, attached to the Kebbi State Command, have been killed following a gun battle with suspected bandits in Kebbi State.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mubarak Mustapha, in a statement made available to journalists on Friday, the incident took place on Thursday, 24 August 2023.
He explained that a team of Kebbi Area Command officers and men of the Nigeria Customs, while on a stop-and-search operation based on credible information, came under heavy gunfire by suspected bandits in a grey Toyota Corolla vehicle along Bunza – Dakingari – Koko Road.
In the gun duel that ensued, two personnel of the Command, Alhaji Kabiru Shehu, an Inspector of Customs, and Abdullahi Muhammad, a Customs Assistant II, paid the supreme price and 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”, the statement said.
The Customs Area Controller, Ben Oramalugo, while commiserating with the families on the tragic incident, prayed that God Almighty grants them the fortitude to bear the loss.
He further urged members of the public to volunteer information about the movement of suspected smugglers and other criminals, assuring such informants of strict confidentiality.
