A patrol vehicle belonging to Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has crushed six persons, a 13-year-old girl and injured 20 others in the Jibia local government area of Katsina State, LEADERSHIP reports.
Residents of the border town said the incident occurred at about 10am on Monday along Jibia-Kauran Namuda Highway when the customs officers in the vehicle were pursuing a J5 Peugeot used by suspected smugglers to carry contraband goods
LEADERSHIP gathered that the victims, mostly farmers, were standing by the roadside when the patrol vehicle crushed them.
Usman Kabir, who was at the scene of the incident, said: “The patrol vehicle and the smugglers’ vehicle were on top speed and they were just approaching Jibia town when the driver of the patrol vehicle veered off the highway and ran over the people.
“Six people died on the spot, one died while being rushed to the General Amadi Orthopedic Hospital Katsina, while the remaining 19 who sustained injuries are presently on admission at the same hospital.”
He said the smugglers escaped while an angry mob at the scene set ablaze the customs’ patrol vehicle before the arrival of security personnel who curtailed the situation.
The spokesman of the Katsina Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service, Danbaba Isah, confirmed the incident, but said the investigation had begun to unravel the circumstances behind the incident.
