The Nigerian government has constituted a 10-member independent panel to investigate the deaths of 37 people who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the panel on Saturday, following the discovery of the bodies inside a detention facility in Minna, the state capital.
The victims, described as young men, were reportedly arrested by NSCDC personnel over allegations linked to illegal gold mining. Their bodies were found inside an overcrowded holding cell on Thursday.
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Survivors reportedly described difficult conditions inside the facility, including overcrowding and inadequate ventilation. One survivor alleged that a substance which caused irritation to the nose and throat was sprayed inside the cell before the door was shut.
The survivors also claimed that their pleas for assistance were not immediately answered.
President Bola Tinubu had on Friday directed that an urgent and transparent investigation be conducted into the incident. He said the government would not tolerate deaths resulting from official negligence, abuse or dereliction of duty.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the investigative panel comprises a retired senior intelligence officer, a medical professional, a human rights advocate and representatives of the miners’ association, among others.
The panel has been given two weeks to complete its investigation and submit its findings. Its mandate includes establishing whether there was responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct surrounding the deaths.
The minister also disclosed that 20 NSCDC officers and guards connected with the arrest and detention of the miners had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The officer in charge of the affected command was suspended on Friday.
Niger State, one of Nigeria’s largest states by land area, is endowed with significant mineral resources and has attracted thousands of artisanal miners, many of whom engage in mining activities in search of gold and other valuable minerals.
