Daud Olatunji
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has paraded its suspended Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and 23 other personnel over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the Corps’ custody in Niger State.
The affected personnel are currently being held at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja, where they are undergoing interrogation and administrative disciplinary proceedings over their alleged links to the incident.
The development came as pressure mounted on the security agency to explain how 37 detainees died after being arrested during anti-illegal mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State.
The NSCDC had initially announced that the detainees died following a suspected disease outbreak, but the circumstances surrounding the deaths have triggered a wider investigation, with the Federal Government already constituting an independent panel to establish what happened.
The 37 detainees were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16, but were found dead on September 17.
The NSCDC’s National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi, disclosed on Sunday that the number of personnel placed under suspension and protective custody had risen from the initial 21 to 24.
According to him, the personnel linked to the incident had been taken to Abuja since September 17 to make them available to the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other investigative panels for further questioning and possible prosecution.
He said the Corps would ensure that due process, transparency and accountability guided its internal investigation.
Afolabi said the NSCDC would not shield any personnel found culpable, stressing that anyone established to have violated the law or breached professional standards would face disciplinary measures and prosecution where necessary.
The Corps also ordered its flag to be flown at half-mast across all commands and formations for three days beginning Sunday, September 20, as a mark of mourning.
The Commandant General, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, said the measure was also intended to demonstrate the Corps’ institutional remorse and disapproval of any conduct that might have contributed to the deaths.
The latest development follows the Federal Government’s suspension of the Niger State Commandant and 20 other officers on Saturday, pending the outcome of an independent investigation.
The 10-member panel constituted by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has been mandated to establish the identities of the deceased, investigate their arrest and detention, determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths, establish responsibility or negligence and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable.
The committee, chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, has two weeks to submit its report.
Other members include Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School; retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; the National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Liman Sulaiman; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; journalist Zainab Suleiman Okino; and public affairs analyst George Agbakahi.
The Federal Government had directed the preservation of all records and evidence relating to the incident and warned against any attempt to destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation.
Meanwhile, the NSCDC has attributed the inclusion of two senior officers, DCC Ajayi Philips and DCC John Agrahau Chagwa, to alleged lack of supervision in their respective departments.
The other personnel named in connection with the incident include officers responsible for intelligence and investigation, operations, legal services, arrest, station guard duties and custody.
The incident has raised serious questions about the conditions under which the suspects were detained and the circumstances leading to the deaths.
Reports have also indicated that 67 people were being held at the facility before 37 died, while survivors and relatives have raised allegations concerning overcrowding and detention conditions. Those claims remain subject to investigation.
President Bola Tinubu had ordered a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the deaths, while the Interior Ministry said the probe must determine whether negligence, misconduct or other factors contributed to the fatalities.
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