A senior officer with the Nigeria Customs Service was discovered lifeless in a hotel room in Katsina metropolis on Thursday morning, hours after reportedly spending the night with two women, as authorities probe possible links to suspected illicit substances.
Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) Lawal Tukur, whose age and hometown were not immediately disclosed, was pronounced dead at the scene around 8:30 a.m. at Murjani Hotel in the state capital.
Hotel staff, conducting a routine check, raised the alarm upon finding him unresponsive on the bed, according to eyewitness accounts shared with security analyst Zagazola Makama.
Preliminary investigations revealed empty sachets believed to contain drugs or other substances in the room's wastebasket, sources close to the hotel told reporters.
Three women were present in the facility at the time: Khadija Ali, 34, from Dutsin Amare Quarters in Katsina; Aisha Lawal, 30, from Ingawa Local Government Area; and Hafsat Yusuf, 22, from Brigade Quarters in Kano.
Reports indicate Ali and Lawal had checked in with Tukur on Wednesday evening, while Yusuf arrived later and secured her own room nearby."
The women were cooperative when police arrived, but they've been taken in for questioning to establish the sequence of events," a police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed.
No arrests have been made, and the women denied any wrongdoing in initial statements, claiming they were simply guests unaware of Tukur's condition until the discovery.
Tukur's body was swiftly transported to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Katsina, where a medical team confirmed his death, citing no visible signs of trauma.
It was then deposited in the hospital mortuary pending a full autopsy to ascertain the exact cause potentially cardiac arrest, overdose, or foul play.
Toxicology results are expected within days, as the Katsina State Police Command leads the inquiry alongside Customs officials.
The Nigeria Customs Service, notified shortly after the incident, expressed profound grief in a brief statement from its Katsina Command.
"ASC Tukur was a dedicated public servant whose sudden passing is a great loss to the Service and his family. We are cooperating fully with authorities and urge calm as investigations proceed," Public Relations Officer Tahir Balarabe said.
Tukur, stationed at a border outpost, had no prior disciplinary issues on record, colleagues noted.
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