The Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) has expressed sadness over the recent death of eight persons when a customs vehicle veered off the road and killed bystanders, including a 13-year-old girl.
No fewer than 19 persons were also said to have sustained varying degrees of injury and were rushed to the General Amadi Rimi Orthopaedic hospital, Katsina, for treatment.
In a statement issues on Wednesday by Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah, Customs National Public Relations Officer, he quoted the Customs CG as saying that he and “the entire staff of Nigeria Customs Service are deeply saddened by the unfortunate operation accident that resulted in the death of fellow Nigerians and injuries to others”.
While assuring the injured of best treatment, the statement also added that, “even though, human actions cannot always keep society accident-free, the CGC has already directed holistic investigation into the incident with a view to preventing a reoccurrence of this unfortunate accident in the future”.
According to the Customs boss, “as a responsible Government Agency, we are mindful of the duty of care imposed upon us to ensure the safety of our citizens. Unfortunately, our efficiency is sometimes undermined by unanticipated failures in our equipment as in this case which was caused by break failure resulting in the death of Eight fellow Nigerians and injuries to others at the border town of Jibiya, Katsina State”.
The statement added that, “the Nigeria Customs Service shares in the pains of losing these compatriots and extends heartfelt condolences to the immediate families of the deceased, Government and the people of Katsina State”.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State House of Assembly has directed its Clerk to write the state government seeking the disbandment of border drill in the state.
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This was sequel to a motion moved by the member representing Jibia constituency, Mustafa Yusuf.
It followed an auto accident involving Customs officers that led to the death of several people in Jibia Monday morning.
The lawmaker lamented that Customs officers, especially those in the border drill team, over-speed in towns with impunity.
Border drill is a joint task team of officers of Nigeria Customs Service, State Security Service, Police and Immigration Service supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The House unanimously condemned the activities of officers in the border drill which resulted in the death of the people.
The House also resolved to write an official letter to the National Assembly to protest the activities of the officers on the border drill team.
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