The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has paraded its suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Suberu Aniviye, and other officers linked to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the Corps’ custody.
The officers were paraded on Sunday at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Sauka, Abuja, as the Corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi, briefed journalists on the preliminary findings into the incident.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, days after they were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations conducted by the NSCDC in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
The Corps 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 conditions at the detention facility.
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, had disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in an NSCDC facility before 37 of them died.
Bago said the exact cause of the deaths had yet to be established, while possible suffocation arising from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances were among the issues being considered.
Following the incident, the Federal Government suspended Aniviye and 20 other NSCDC officers pending the outcome of an independent investigation.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths.
The committee is expected to examine the identities of the deceased, the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, as well as 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 at the time of their arrest, their period in custody, detention conditions and the medical attention provided to them.
Amnesty International has also called for an independent investigation into the deaths, particularly following reports that some of those detained were minors.
The incident has further triggered protests in Minna, the Niger State capital, with authorities imposing a curfew following clashes between protesters and security personnel.
The ongoing briefing and investigations are expected to provide further clarification on the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine responsibility where wrongdoing is established.
The outcome is also expected to address questions over the conditions under which the detainees were held and the medical care available to them while in custody.
