Six people have been confirmed dead and over 20 others injured after a Hilux van belonging to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) rammed into people by the roadside in Jibia town, Katsina State.
The accident occurred early Monday morning while some customs officers were pursuing a J5 Peugeot bus they suspected was involved in rice smuggling.
An eyewitness said, “The driver lost control of the vehicle and ran into people standing by the roadside” a resident of the town,
“Six people died immediately while the injured were taken to a hospital in Jibia. I was told that more of them have died but I cannot confirm that because I did not follow them to the hospital.”
A trader, Kabir Jibia, who witnessed the accident, said it occurred around 8 a.m.
Jibia said, “The owner of the J5 Peugeot is among those buying maize from Dandume town and bringing it here (Jibia) for sale. They normally give money to the Customs officers though what they are doing is not smuggling.
“But this J5 driver refused to stop at one checkpoint immediately after Batsari on your way to Jibia.
“They followed him from their checkpoint into the town and it was while they were chasing him that the vehicle ran into bystanders.”
However, the Public Relations Officer of the NCS in Katsina State, Danbaba Isa, disputed reports that the officers were pursuing a vehicle.
He said, “What we know is that it was an accident that can occur to anyone. The accident occured this morning after some of our officers finished eating and were returning to their checkpoint when their vehicle developed brake fault and it resulted in the accident.”
Isa called on members of the public to desist from spreading unverified stories.