Omanghana
The Federal Government of Nigeria has established a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps in Niger State over alleged illegal mining.
The panel was constituted on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, who ordered a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced the committee and directed the suspension of 20 NSCDC officers connected to the arrest, detention and handling of the victims. Niger State Commandant Suberu Aniviye had also been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The detainees died on September 17 while being held at an NSCDC facility in Minna, the Niger State capital. They were among 67 people arrested during operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities.
Many of those who died were reportedly teenagers. The victims had not been convicted of any offence and were still being held as suspects when the incident occurred.
The NSCDC initially suggested that a possible disease outbreak was responsible for the deaths. However, survivors alleged that the detainees had been crowded into a small, poorly ventilated room and struggled to breathe.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said preliminary indications suggested that the victims probably died from suffocation. The bodies were taken to Minna General Hospital, while authorities said medical examinations would help establish the cause of death.
One survivor told reporters that the detainees began scrambling for air after the cell became unbearably congested. He said they banged on the door and called for help but received no immediate assistance.
Other survivors alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the room before the door was closed. They said the substance irritated their eyes, noses and throats, worsening the panic inside the cell. The allegation has not been independently confirmed and will form part of the investigation.
The investigative committee is chaired by Jonathan Kure, a retired deputy director-general of the Department of State Services. Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former director-general of the Nigerian Law School, will serve as secretary.
Its members include professionals drawn from the legal, medical, security, human-rights, media and mining sectors.
The panel has been instructed to establish the identities of those who died and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrests and detention. It will also investigate the medical cause of the deaths and determine whether there was negligence, misconduct, complicity or other institutional failure.
Where wrongdoing is established, the committee is expected to recommend appropriate sanctions. Its terms of reference also include considering compensation for affected families and proposing measures to prevent a similar tragedy.
The panel has two weeks to complete its work and submit its report to the interior minister. Relevant NSCDC officials have been ordered to cooperate and preserve all records and physical evidence connected to the incident.
News of the deaths triggered protests in Minna, where angry residents and relatives demanded justice. Police used tear gas to disperse crowds near the NSCDC office after parts of the demonstration became violent.
The Niger State Government subsequently imposed a 12-hour overnight curfew to restore order. Governor Bago also declared three days of mourning for the victims.
The Nigerian Bar Association, civil-society organizations and relatives of the victims have called for an impartial investigation and the prosecution of anyone found responsible.
The government said its campaign against illegal mining would continue but stressed that enforcement operations must comply with the law and respect the rights and dignity of suspects.
Source: Omanghana
