The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has paraded its suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Suberu Aniviye, and other officers linked to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody.
The officers were paraded at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Sauka, Abuja, on Sunday, as the Corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi, briefed journalists on the preliminary findings into the incident.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, after they were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations conducted by the NSCDC in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
The NSCDC had initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, saying the actual cause would be established through medical examination.
However, concerns over the circumstances surrounding the deaths have intensified, with survivors and relatives alleging overcrowding and poor detention conditions.
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, had disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in an NSCDC facility before 37 of them died. The governor said the exact cause of death had yet to be established, while possible suffocation arising from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances were among the issues being considered.
The Federal Government has since suspended the Niger State Commandant and 20 other NSCDC officers pending the outcome of an independent investigation.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo also 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.
The development followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.
The NSCDC had earlier constituted its own high-powered investigative team to examine the condition of the detainees when they were arrested, their period in custody, detention conditions and the medical attention provided to them.
Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into the deaths, particularly as some of those detained were minors.
The incident has also triggered protests in Minna, with authorities imposing a curfew following clashes between protesters and security personnel.
The outcome of the ongoing briefing and investigation is expected to shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine responsibility.