The Nigerian Customs Service has confirmed that eight people were killed by its officers at the border town of Jibiya, Katsina State, but described the incident as an accident occasioned by brake failure.

This was contained in a statement by the service’s Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah, on Wednesday.

Recall that there have been reports that officers of the NCS who were driving a Hilux van, ran into a group of people in Jibia, killing a few while injuring others.

The statement noted that the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Hameed Ali, and the entire staff of the service were saddened by the incident.

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It reads partly, “As a responsible government agency, we are mindful of the duty of care imposed upon us to ensure the safety of our citizens.

“Unfortunately, our efficiency is sometimes undermined by unanticipated failures in our equipment as in this case which was caused by break failure resulting in the death of eight fellow Nigerians and injuries to others at the border town of Jibiya, Katsina State.”

The NCS disclosed that the CGC had directed that a holistic investigation be conducted to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident in the future.