By Godfrey Bivbere

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, where an officer, Augustine Onwegbuzie, recently died in controversial circumstances, said that they have arrested three suspects while further investigation is now on-going.

But Public Relations Officer of the Unit, Peter Duniya, said that he could not speak much about the issue until the investigation is concluded.

Duniya, however, explained that they have the three detained suspects in custody, as well as statements from the colleagues of the deceased.

Informed that the deceased had complained to some family members about the O/C of his Unit, Duniya said, “Until it is formerly brought to the office, issues like that are best treated unofficially. I only saw the picture after he was brought out of the pit.

“Well, as I speak with you now I cannot comment on that because the department has initiated action, and the investigation is ongoing. We have suspects that were arrested after the incident, the department is investigating the matter.

“Until that is reasonably concluded, that is when l or any other person can say precisely what happened because we have three suspects in connection to that murder and the officers that were there, we also have their statement.

“The suspects are not Customs officers; we just have to wait for the outcome of the investigation.”

When informed that the Officer in Charge of the Unit where late Onwegbuzie served before he met his untimely death, called the widow about 48 hours after ( not 24 as earlier reported), the Unit’s image make said “No, that is not the procedure.

“Let me dig in more as you rightly suggested but that is what we have in our record and that is what we forwarded to the headquarters.

“He never brought a complaint about the O/C of the Unit to the office, if he had done so I am sure that the office would have acted on it.

“Whatever complaints he had, he decided to hold it to himself or share it with some of his family members and friends,” he noted.

Recall that Vanguard had reported that the Service claimed that the officer was killed by smugglers, but a family member who spoke with Vanguard said that the claim is suspicious.