NSCDC CUSTODY DEATHS: FG PANEL REVEALS HOW 37 MINERS DIED IN NIGER

A federal investigative panel has found that the NSCDC custody deaths in Minna were caused by suffocation, and it has recommended the dismissal and prosecution of the officers involved.

Panel chairman Jonathan Kure, a former Deputy Director-General of the DSS, disclosed the findings on Tuesday while presenting the report to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja.

The report covers the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the committee blamed environmental asphyxia linked to overcrowding, heat stress and dehydration.

HOW THE NSCDC CUSTODY DEATHS UNFOLDED

The miners were arrested in “burst operations” on 15 and 16 September at M.I. Wushishi Estate and Lukoto village. They were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, 17 September.

The state command first pointed to a disease outbreak. It named diphtheria as a possibility but said lab tests were needed. The autopsies have now ended that explanation.

WHAT THE PANEL FOUND

The committee cited overcrowding, unsuitable detention conditions, failure of duty of care and inadequate supervision. Members visited the Minna facility, inspected the mining site and the NSCDC headquarters, and conducted autopsies.

They also took statements from survivors, relatives and NSCDC personnel.

THE SCREAMS NOBODY ANSWERED

Survivors say they begged for help. One said detainees pleaded for water, but officers refused to open the door. He also alleged that officers sprayed an unidentified substance into the cell.

That allegation has not been independently established.

An officer’s own testimony backs part of the account. The officer in charge told a judicial commission he heard the screaming but did not open the cell, citing too few personnel and fear of being overpowered.

He said the cell held 28 to 30 inmates, yet 58 suspects were brought in. Reports of the exact numbers detained differ.

Hannah Arendt warned that harm often comes from ordinary functionaries who stop asking what duty requires. A cell built for about 30 people does not become safe because an officer is afraid to open it.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND FALLOUT

The panel recommended N1.4bn in compensation for the families of 33 victims and 44 survivors.

It also urged the immediate dismissal of the Niger commandant and other officers directly involved.

Fourteen of the dead were reportedly minors.

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ValidViewNetwork gathered that the minister also directed the suspension of officers accused of cleaning the facility to destroy evidence.

President Bola Tinubu earlier ordered a full and transparent investigation.

The government suspended the commandant and 20 other officers.

The Federal Government also announced N250 million for affected families during Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s visit to Minna on 5 October. The NSCDC custody deaths now move from inquiry to accountability. ValidViewNetwork reports.