A young customs officer, Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) Lawal Tukur, was found dead in a hotel room in Katsina State on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at Murjani Hotel in Katsina metropolis, where Tukur had lodged with three women. A hotel staff member discovered his lifeless body at around 8:30 a.m. on 15 October 2025 and immediately raised the alarm.
Investigators reportedly found empty sachets of suspected substances in the room’s wastebasket. The three women – Khadija Ali, 34, of Dutsin Amare Quarters, Katsina; Aisha Lawal, 30, of Ingawa Local Government Area; and Hafsat Yusuf, 22, of Brigade Quarters, Kano – were present at the hotel. Khadija and Aisha spent the night with Tukur, while Hafsat joined them later.
The officer was confirmed dead by a medical doctor after being taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, and his body was deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
Although the Katsina State Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has not yet released an official statement on the cause of death, Tukur’s remains were laid to rest following Islamic rites. His funeral prayer was conducted on Wednesday evening at his family home in the Sabon Layi area, near the Katsina Police Compound.