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.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the incident occurred on Wednesday, October 15, at Murjani Hotel in Katsina, where the officer had reportedly lodged.
Hotel staff discovered Tukur’s lifeless body in his room around 8:30 a.m. and immediately alerted the authorities.
Sources at the hotel disclosed that empty sachets of suspected substances were found in the waste bin of the room. Three women identified as Khadija Ali, 34, of Dutsin Amare Quarters, Katsina; Aisha Lawal, 30, from Ingawa Local Government Area; and Hafsat Yusuf, 22, of Brigade Quarters, Kano, were said to have been in the hotel at the time of the incident.
It was gathered that Khadija and Aisha spent the night with the deceased, while Hafsat joined them later and also lodged at the hotel.
The officer’s body was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Katsina, where he was confirmed dead by medical personnel and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
The Nigeria Customs Service has been notified of the development, while investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of death.