Teenager killed as customs officials chase smugglers

A 14-year-old-boy Mushin Ibrahim has been killed when a J5 Peugeot bus being chased by officials of the Nigerian Customs Service in Jibia, a border town of Nigeria with Niger Republic rammed into bystanders around Tudun Wada Primary School, Tashar Huraira.

Penpushing reports that eyewitness who identified himself as Buhari said the incident occurred at about 11am on Saturday, adding that officials of the Federal Operating Unit, Zone B of the Nigeria Customs Service were responsible for the sad incident.

‘We were sitting in front of Mai Masara filling station when the accident occurred. The J5 driver was at high-speed trying to run away from the customs officials when he lost control of the steering wheel and ran into a crowd but only the boy got crushed. “We were lucky too. Other people were lucky to escape’, Buhari added

Penpushing further reports that the witness added that shortly after the crash the customs van reversed and drove back to their checkpoint, apparently to feign ignorance of the incident and exonerate themselves

The father of the late boy Ibrahim Musa, while lamenting the loss explained that he was in his farm when his nephew rushed to inform him of the incident, adding that when he reached the scene, his son  was already dead, with body severely damaged by the vehicle.

“I was on the farm around 11 a.m. when my nephew rushed to inform me of the incident. When I reached the scene, he was already dead. His body was severely damaged by the vehicle’, the bereaved father stated

Penpushing also reports the father a peasant farmer, explained that onlookers and other family members took the corpse to the Divisional Police Office in Jibia from where they were referred to the hospital where the boy was confirmed dead.

‘The DPO asked us to make a statement and handed the dead body to us. He asked us to go and bury it since they had already taken our statement. I want the government to do justice to us, the Customs officials caused this because they were chasing a vehicle in a populated place like Jibia’, he emphasised

Penpushing reports that the Chairman of the Jibia Peoples Forum, Gide Dahiru, in his remarks pointed out that the driver of the J5 informed them that the soybeans in his vehicle were brought from Batsari and not the Niger Republic.

‘The situation in Jibia is becoming confusing because we don’t know what the customs officials are supposed to stop. Even if you bring in goods from Katsina or Kano, they stop and ask you for a bribe. If you refuse to give them, they will seize the goods and say it’s contrabands’, he said.

Penpushing reports that the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Operations Unit Zone B Kaduna spokesperson, Isa Sulaiman, while reacting declared that the accident was not caused by customs officials.

‘I am aware that we have a team along the Jibiya Border that is within a 40km radius. The officials of the NCS didn’t cause the incident you are referring to as alleged; it was caused by the reckless driving of the driver of that J5 bus you are referring to. But some unscrupulous elements are hell-bent on twisting the narration,” he said.

‘Smugglers are unhappy with our resolve to ensure that illicit items do not find their way into the country” but the service would continue to enforce the directives of the federal government despite efforts to smear its name’, Sulaiman added.

‘We are a service of repute and we sympathise with the families of the victims and an investigation is ongoing to unravel the cause of the incident in collaboration with relevant agencies. Whoever is found guilty will face the consequences of his actions’, he stated.

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