NSCDC detains 24 officers over Niger miners’ deaths
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has detained 24 personnel over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in its custody in Niger State, with three more officers added to those already being investigated.
NSCDC spokesman, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
Abimbola Joseph
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has detained 24 personnel over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in its custody in Niger State, with three more officers added to those already being investigated.
NSCDC spokesman, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
The Federal Government had, a day earlier, constituted a 10-member independent panel to investigate the deaths and establish the circumstances surrounding what happened at the NSCDC facility where the miners were detained.
The miners died on Thursday, September 17, after they were arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining in Niger State. The circumstances and precise cause of the deaths remain subject to investigation.
The NSCDC had initially placed 21 personnel in custody. Afolabi said three additional officers had subsequently been identified and suspended, bringing the number of personnel detained in connection with the incident to 24.
He said the affected personnel from the Niger State Command had been transferred to the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja, where they were undergoing interrogation and administrative disciplinary proceedings.
The officers are also expected to be made available to the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other investigative panels for further questioning and possible prosecution where evidence establishes culpability.
Afolabi said the personnel linked to the incident had been taken into protective custody from September 17 as part of measures to facilitate the investigation.
The NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi, said the Corps would ensure that due process, transparency and accountability guided the investigation.
Audi said personnel found culpable would face internal disciplinary measures and any applicable legal consequences.
“As a Corps built on integrity, professionalism, discipline, and absolute respect for the rule of law, we do not condone unprofessional conduct, high-handedness, or any action that undermines the fundamental rights of citizens or the sacred trust reposed in us,” he said.
The NSCDC also ordered its flag to be flown at half-mast across all its formations for three days from Sunday in honour of the deceased.
Among those already identified as being held are the suspended Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye; Ajayi Philips, Head of Intelligence and Investigation; John Agrahau Chagwa, Head of Operations; Obafemi Elvis; and Stephen Tsado, Officer-in-Charge of Legal, alongside other personnel. The Federal Government separately released a list of suspended officers linked to the incident.
The Federal Government announced the 10-member independent panel on Saturday following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive and transparent investigation.
The panel, which has two weeks to complete its assignment, includes representatives of the Niger State Government and Minna Emirate Council, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, a professor of histopathology, a representative of the Miners Association of Nigeria, a lawyer and human rights activist, and a journalist, among others.
The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine whether any individuals or institutions bear responsibility.
The NSCDC’s action comes amid conflicting accounts about the circumstances of the deaths. While the cause has not been conclusively established, reports from survivors have raised concerns about overcrowding and conditions at the detention facility.
Those claims are among the issues expected to be examined by the ongoing investigations.
