* Some detainees in NSCDC custody not miners, says Gov Bago
* Custodial tragedy’s horrifying, ‘Auschwitz-like’ — Northern senators
* Corps parades suspended Niger Commandant, officers
By Ahmed Akanbi and Hosea Parah
Nigerians have demanded for an independent and transparent probe of the tragic deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the detention of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
In its reaction, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), in a statement by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, condoled with the families of the deceased and said allegations of illegal mining cannot justify conditions that endanger lives or dignity of people in state custody.
The organisation acknowledged steps taken by the Federal Government to probe the incident.
It urged the government to provide compensation, psychosocial support and other forms of redress to families of the deceased and survivors.
CISLAC also called for a review of how artisanal miners are handled and how mining regulations are enforced to address illegal mining.
The 37 suspected illegal miners arrested in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto villages in Niger State reportedly died on Friday while in the custody of the NSCDC in Minna, the state capital
The suspended NSCDC Commandant in the state, Suberu Aniviye, disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspects were arrested during separate operations conducted on September 15 and 16.
The deaths of alleged illegal miners, have generated condemnations across the country and violent protests in Minna, which made Governor Mohammed Bago to impose curfew to forestall further breakdown of laws and order.
Also, the Coalition of Civil Societies for Transparency and Accountability has backed the Federal Government’s investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State, saying, “anyone found culpable should face the full weight of the law.”
The National Coordinator of the coalition, Bilal Galadima, in a statement signed and released on Sunday, said the call for accountability should be guided by the “findings of the ongoing investigation rather than premature conclusions.”
The deaths occurred after dozens of people suspected of illegal mining were arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps during operations in Niger State on September 15 and 16.
The incident has triggered public outrage, protests and calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The Federal Government has since suspended officers linked to the incident and constituted a 10-member independent committee to establish the identities of the deceased, examine their arrest and detention, determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths and identify any responsibility, negligence or misconduct. The committee has two weeks to submit its report.
The NSCDC said more than 50 suspected illegal miners were arrested during the operations around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, while profiling and documentation of the suspects were ongoing when the deaths occurred.
The cause of death has not been conclusively established. The bodies were taken for medical examination and autopsies, while different accounts have emerged over the circumstances of the deaths, including allegations concerning overcrowding and inadequate ventilation at the detention facility.
Reacting to calls for the removal of the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof Ahmed Audi, the coalition said attention should remain on establishing what happened and holding those responsible to account.
Galadima said, “We sincerely sympathise with the families affected in the unfortunate incident where 37 persons suspected of illegal mining lost their lives while in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State.”
He added that, “at this sober moment,” stakeholders should allow the investigations already ordered by the Federal Government to establish the facts of the case.”
According to the coalition, the Niger State NSCDC Commandant had indicated that he did not inform the Commandant-General about the arrest of the alleged illegal miners.
The group said the development underscored the need for investigators to establish how the operation was conducted, who had responsibility for the detainees and whether established procedures were followed.
It stated, “It is therefore illogical to demand the sack of the Commandant-General for an operational lapse at a State Command that was not reported to him.”
The coalition, however, said its position should not be interpreted as an attempt to shield anyone found responsible. “Instead of this distraction, we call on Dantani and all well-meaning Nigerians to allow the rule of law to take its full course as we await the outcome of the investigations into this unfortunate incident,” it said.
The group also urged government agencies and other stakeholders to remain calm while the probe committee carries out its assignment. “Whoever is found culpable should face the full wrath of the law,” the coalition said.
The deaths have also prompted wider calls for stronger safeguards for people held in security custody. The National Human Rights Commission has called for an independent forensic autopsy and preservation of evidence, while stressing that suspects retain their constitutional rights to life and dignity while in custody.
The incident has further drawn attention to the government’s campaign against illegal mining, which authorities have linked to environmental degradation and, in some parts of the country, insecurity and illicit financial networks. The Niger State Government has also announced measures following the deaths, while investigations continue.
The Federal Government has said the probe will determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable and measures to prevent a recurrence.
In their reaction, the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) has demanded an immediate, transparent and independent investigation into the deaths of 37 young Nigerians allegedly in the custody of the NSCDC in Minna, Niger State.
In a statement weekend, the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, described the circumstances surrounding the deaths as deeply disturbing, noting that the victims were reportedly confined in a small room where they cried for help before choking to death.
The Forum said history has shown how horrifying confinement becomes when helpless people are stripped of dignity and treated as though their lives have no value.
”At Auschwitz and other Nazi killing centres during the Holocaust, countless helpless men, women and children were imprisoned under brutal conditions, with many deliberately suffocated in gas chambers. Auschwitz operated from 1940 to 1945 during World War II and became the most notorious killing centre of the Holocaust.
”The Minna tragedy is not being equated with the Holocaust, but it should awaken the same fundamental question that history demands we never stop asking: What happens when those entrusted with human lives cease to see the people in their custody as human beings deserving of protection?,” the statement said.
The senators demanded that Nigerians must be told who ordered the arrests, where the detainees were taken, who authorized their detention, whether the room was fit for human habitation, when distress calls were made, who heard them, what action was taken, and the precise circumstances in which each victim died.
They called for the investigation to involve the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association, credible civil society organisations and independent forensic experts.
The Forum also demanded independent autopsies for all 37 victims, with family representatives and independent pathologists allowed to participate.
”If criminal negligence, unlawful detention, reckless conduct or any deliberate act contributed to these deaths, those responsible must be prosecuted, irrespective of their rank or position,” it said.
NSF said the tragedy must trigger a nationwide review of detention facilities operated by security agencies to ensure no Nigerian is ever placed in a situation “where a cry for help becomes a cry that nobody answers.”
The Forum extended condolences to the families of the deceased and the people of Niger State, praying Almighty Allah to forgive their shortcomings, grant them Al-Jannatul Firdaus and give their families fortitude to bear the loss.
Similarly, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called on the Attorneys-General of Niger and Ondo states to prosecute those allegedly responsible for the deaths of scores of Nigerians in two separate incidents.
In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, Falana asked the Niger State Attorney-General, Nasiru Mu’azu, to ensure a speedy investigation into the deaths of 37 suspects who were detained by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over alleged illegal mining.
The suspects were reportedly found dead at a detention facility in Niger State, two days after their arrest.
The NSCDC had said more than 50 people were arrested and were undergoing profiling and documentation.
Falana attributed the deaths to overcrowding and poor ventilation, and called for the prosecution of any persons found culpable.
He also called on authorities to ensure that detention facilities comply with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, popularly known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
The senior lawyer drew a parallel with the 1980 incident in Lagos, when 50 suspects reportedly suffocated inside a police transport van at the premises of the Tinubu Magistrate Court.
Meanwhile, fresh facts have emerged that not all 37 persons who died in the custody of the NSCDC in Niger State, North Central Nigeria were artisanal miners.
Among them were other detainees such as Emmanuel Emeka, who was accused of stealing from his boss, a pharmacy operator.
Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, who made this known during the three-day prayers for the repose of the dead held at the Tunga Central Mosque, added that the government will lift the curfew earlier imposed across the state beginning on Monday, September 21.
The prayer session, led by the Chief Imam of the Tunga Central Mosque, Salisu Isah, drew a large turnout of families and loved ones of the deceased, with the Emir of Minna, Umar-Farouk Bahago, in attendance.
While praying for the repose of the dead, Governor Bago revealed that, from preliminary reports received, not only artisanal miners died in the custody of the NSCDC, but also other detainees.
The Governor explained that, in terms of compensation to the families of those who lost their lives including those still receiving treatment in the hospital, the Emir of Minna, Umar-Farouk Bahago, will be in charge of the disbursement committee.
Following what he termed cooperation and total compliance by the residents of the state regarding the dusk-to-dawn curfew, Bago said it will be lifted for people to return to their normal activities.
Further investigation revealed that some of the deceased artisanal Miners were students of Islamiyya School around Tunga, located behind the School of Midwives.
According to one of the guardians of the students, Hamisu Hassan, the Islamiyya School lost five students in the incident, pointing out that the students were from Kano, Katsina, and Zaria.
Hassan explained that the deceased used mining to sustain themselves as a means of livelihood before the unfortunate incident, describing it as an act of destiny.
In a related development, The 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 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.
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.