Gunmen kill Customs officer in Kebbi, farmers harassed in Attack

Suspected gunmen shot dead a Nigeria Customs Service officer at the Fingila checkpoint in Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State on Monday. The attackers also disrupted farming activities in the area before confronting the officer.

Eyewitnesses said about seven armed men, equipped with sophisticated weapons, first raided nearby farms where they intimidated farmers, confiscated food items, and instructed them to stop working. A resident, Malam Abdulrasheed, described how the intruders forced farmers to sample their own meals before taking the surplus. According to Abdulrasheed, they told farmers that no planting would happen that day and ordered everyone to leave.

The group then moved toward the main road and encountered the customs official seated close to a mosque. Witnesses reported that the officer tried to flee into a maize field after the first shot missed but was hit by two more bullets, one fatally. Two other customs personnel, hiding in the crops nearby, escaped with minor injuries by crawling through the vegetation.

Locals said the deceased officer hailed from Maiduguri, Borno State, and was often seen near the mosque. The Kebbi state Nigeria Customs Service has yet to release an official comment on the incident.

More updates will be provided as investigations continue.