WASHINGTON: The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), retired Col. Hameed Ali, on Thursday vowed to bring killers of two officers of the service to justice. In a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Joseph Attah in Abuja, Ali said the killing of Chief Superintendent Maidama Yabo and Assistant Superintendent Babandi Shaba was uncalled for. Yabo and Shaba were killed by gunmen at Dogon Hawa in Katsina State. The gunmen, suspected to be robbers, took away the service AK47 riffle, helmet, bullet proof vest and service shoes.
The CGC said the service would no longer accept the brutal killing of its officers by criminals. He warned that henceforth men of the service would not hesitate to apply appropriate force when necessary. Ali said, while condoling the families of the deceased, that the service would do all it could to bring the killers to justice. According to him, investigation into the incident is ongoing to ascertain the motive of the killings. He decried the habit of smugglers and other criminals who inflicted injuries on anti-smuggling operatives carrying out their statutory duties. “Customs officers and indeed all security operatives are Nigerians whose lives are valuable to their families and the nation at large,” Ali said. Ali eulogised the deceased officers and prayed that the Almighty Allah would grant them eternal rest. He commended the officers for their dedication to duty.
