Tag: NSCDC custody deaths

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, has constituted a ten member independent committee to investigate the reported deaths of 37 people held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Niger State Command, on suspicion of illegal mining. The action follows a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the incident, which occurred on September 17, with the Minister also suspending all officers involved pending the committee’s findings. Describing the deaths as deeply disturbing, the Minister said the government owes affected families and the public a transparent account of events, directing the committee to establish the identities of the deceased and investigate the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The committee, chaired by retired Deputy Director General Jonathan Kure, includes Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma as Secretary, alongside representatives from the Minna Emirate Council, the Niger State Government and the Miners Association of Nigeria. The panel is expected to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, and to recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable, within a two week timeframe. The Minister directed NSCDC leadership to cooperate fully with the committee and preserve all evidence connected to the incident, warning that any attempt to destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses would be treated as a serious offence. Alongside the Niger State Commandant, 20 additional officers, including station guards, arresting officers and duty officers, have been named and suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. The committee has been granted authority to co opt relevant experts, visit locations connected to the incident and request memoranda from members of the public as it carries out its work. The Minister extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation continues. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed