A yet-to-be-identified, customs officer,.attached to the Fingila checkpoint in Arewa/Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, was killed by gunmen yesterday.
According to a local resident, an indigene of Fingila village known only as Malam Abdulrasheed, the attackers had earlier raided farms, seized food from farmers, and driven them away.
“They entered farms, asked farmers to test the food they brought from their homes, forced them to take a bite before collecting the remaining and ate all of it and told them to go home, saying no farming today,” Abdulrasheed said.
He further recounted that as the assailants reached the main road, about seven of them on motorcycles, heavily armed, encountered the Customs officer. They fired at him initially but missed.
“Then they fired the second shot, which hit him after he ran into growing maize farm near the mosque,” he added.
Two other officers, who were not in open view during the unprovoked attack, managed to escape by crawling through the maize farm, though they sustained injuries.
The source, who could not confirm the identity of the deceased, revealed that he was reportedly from Maiduguri, Borno State, and was usually seen sitting near the mosque.
As of press time, the Customs command in Kebbi State had not issued any statement regarding the incident.
