The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has suspended three more personnel and paraded its suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Suberu Aniviye, and other officers following the deaths of suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody.
The latest suspensions bring to 24 the number of NSCDC personnel suspended over the incident, after 21 officers and men were initially suspended and summoned to the Corps’ headquarters in Abuja.
The suspended personnel were paraded on Sunday at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Sauka, Abuja, where the Corps’ spokesperson, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi, briefed journalists on preliminary findings.
The detainees died on Thursday, days after they were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
While the NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, the exact cause has yet to be established.
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, had said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained at an NSCDC facility before 37 of them died.
He said possible suffocation caused by overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances were among the issues being considered.
Survivors and relatives have also raised concerns about alleged overcrowding and poor detention conditions.
In response to the incident, NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi ordered three days of half-mast across the Corps to mourn the deceased.
He described the measure as an expression of institutional remorse and disapproval of the incident, while pledging to address any wrongdoing within the service.
Audi said all suspended personnel would be made available to the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other investigative panels for further questioning and possible prosecution.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths, including the identities of the deceased, their arrest and detention, and the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
The committee has two weeks to complete its assignment.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier directed a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.
The NSCDC has also constituted an internal investigative team to examine the condition of the detainees when they were arrested, their period in custody, detention conditions and the medical attention they received.
Audi said the NSCDC would continue to provide updates on the investigation and reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to transparency, human rights protection, professionalism and respect for the rule of law.
The deaths have also sparked protests in Minna, with authorities imposing a curfew following clashes between protesters and security personnel.
Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation, particularly because some of those detained were reportedly minors.
The ongoing investigations are expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine whether any personnel should face further disciplinary or legal action.
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