A Customs officer, identified as Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) Lawal Tukur, has been found dead in a hotel room in Katsina State, northwest Nigeria.
The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday, October 15, at Murjani Hotel in Katsina metropolis, where the officer had lodged.
According to reports by counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama, hotel staff discovered the officer’s lifeless body in his room around 8:30 a.m. and immediately alerted the management and security operatives.
Sources at the hotel said some empty sachets of suspected substances were found in the wastebasket of the room.
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 said to have been at the hotel during the incident.
It was gathered that Khadija and Aisha spent the night with the deceased, while Hafsat visited them later and also lodged in the same hotel.
The body of the officer was reportedly taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Katsina, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been notified of the development, as investigations continue to determine the exact cause of death.