The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested and detained three additional personnel over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the Corps’ custody in Niger State.
The latest arrests bring the number of NSCDC personnel being held in connection with the incident to 24. The Corps disclosed this on Sunday through its spokesman, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi.
Mr Afolabi said the three newly identified personnel had been suspended and placed in custody, alongside the 21 officers earlier detained.
He said personnel linked to the incident had been moved from the Niger State Command to the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja, where they are undergoing interrogation and administrative disciplinary procedures.
The Corps said the officers would also be made available to the 10-member Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other investigative panels for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The latest development came a day after the Federal Government constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the panel on Saturday following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation.
Mr Tunji-Ojo also ordered the suspension of officers allegedly connected to the incident.
The 37 suspected miners were arrested during operations against illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on 15 and 16 September. Their deaths were discovered on 17 September.
NSCDC promises accountability
The NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi, said the Corps would ensure due process, transparency and accountability throughout the investigation.
Mr Audi said personnel found culpable would face internal disciplinary measures and the full force of the law.
He said the Corps does not condone conduct that undermines citizens’ fundamental rights or the trust placed in its personnel.
The NSCDC has also directed that its flag be flown at half-mast for three days across all its formations as a mark of mourning.
Among the personnel currently being held are the suspended Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, the heads of Intelligence and Investigation and Operations, and other officers.
Questions remain over cause of deaths
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
The NSCDC had initially said the cause had not been established and cautioned against attributing the deaths to a particular disease before medical and laboratory examinations were completed. The Corps said its investigation would examine the miners’ condition when arrested, their treatment in custody, detention conditions and medical attention provided.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has also said the state government was not informed about the arrests before the deaths became known.
According to Mr Bago, 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were taken into custody, while 37 subsequently died. He said overcrowding and possible exposure to hazardous substances were among the issues requiring investigation.
Calls for prosecution and wider reforms
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has called for the speedy investigation and prosecution of anyone found culpable.
Mr Falana argued that the incident should also prompt broader attention to detention conditions in Nigeria, including overcrowding, ventilation, sanitation and healthcare.
Civil society groups have similarly called for an independent investigation that establishes exactly what happened from the miners’ arrest through their detention and deaths.
The League of Northern Democrats said the probe should determine whether overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, medical negligence, abuse or misconduct contributed to the fatalities, while calling for relevant evidence, including detention records, medical records and available CCTV footage, to be preserved.
For the families of the deceased and Nigerians generally, the central issue now is not only determining the cause of the deaths but establishing individual and institutional responsibility, if wrongdoing is confirmed, and ensuring that people held in government custody are protected from preventable harm.
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