A federal government panel says 37 suspected illegal miners died from suffocation in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State.
A federal government panel investigating the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, has found that they died from asphyxiation.
Jonathan Kure, chairman of the 10-member independent committee, disclosed the finding on Tuesday while presenting the panel’s report to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, in Abuja.
Kure said the panel travelled to Minna, inspected the custody facility, conducted autopsies and collected witness statements and documentary and forensic evidence as part of its investigation.
The committee also obtained statements from NSCDC personnel, survivors, the families of the deceased and other witnesses.
The federal government constituted the panel on September 19 following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a “full and transparent” investigation into the deaths.
Tunji-Ojo had announced the investigation in a statement that also listed 21 NSCDC officers suspended in connection with the incident.
The investigation followed the NSCDC’s announcement that the suspects had been arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna.
Suberu Aniviye, the NSCDC commandant in Niger State, said in a statement that “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.
The federal government subsequently suspended the state commandant and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
On October 6, the committee requested a two-week extension to complete and submit its report.
Presenting the findings, Kure said preliminary investigations had also revealed institutional gaps and overzealousness by some officers. He said the findings pointed to the need for greater professionalism in handling sensitive cases.
Asphyxiation occurs when the body is deprived of adequate oxygen, potentially causing unconsciousness, organ damage or death.
The panel’s report identifies oxygen deprivation as the cause of the deaths, following an investigation that included autopsies and evidence gathered from the custody facility and witnesses.
