Masari rattles CG Hameed Ali’s contingence, threatens customs over killing of 5

Katsina Gov. Aminu Bello Masari, has yet to back down on his administration’s earlier decision to sue the Nigeria Customs Service for the last killing of his citizens when the NCS officers were chasing a smuggler.

It has been a recurrent incidents—that people get cruhed during cahses—in Katsina border town Jibya.

“You don’t even care. Life means nothing to you because in the end you are going to declare in the federation account the amount collected by the Customs,” Masari told a team of NCS officers CG Hameed Ali sent to the governor.

“You are pursuing somebody on a motorcycle with five bags of rice as if you are pursuing a bandit. Look, for me, you have to compensate these people. Secondly, you must prosecute the driver and the officer who directed him.

“We will not accept anything short of this. We are ready to test the legal system that gave you the right to kill right inside the town”

According to him, the relationship between customs and the people of the state is strained due to the reckless operations of some of their officers in the state.

He said the people have reacted by mostly burning the Customs operational vehicles.

“We are not condoning smuggling in any form but then you have criminalised people living within the border communities of Nigeria.”

Masari suggested that instead of the reckless chase and shootings of suspected smugglers, the NCS should collaborate with other security outfits to identify and raid shops where contraband are being stored.