President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday ordered a full and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, warning that any official found responsible through abuse or negligence must be arrested and prosecuted.
The President said the Federal Government would not tolerate mass deaths resulting from official negligence, dereliction of duty or failure of public officers to protect people placed in their custody.
Tinubu’s intervention came amid growing outrage over the deaths of the detainees, who were among scores of suspected illegal miners arrested during NSCDC enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi Estate/Lukoto axis of Minna on September 15 and 16.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago put the death toll at 37 and declared three days of mourning, while the tragedy triggered protests in Minna on Friday.
The Niger State NSCDC Command had initially said some of the detainees were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, following a suspected disease outbreak.
However, the Corps’ national headquarters subsequently cautioned against attributing the deaths to any disease before the completion of medical and laboratory examinations, saying the actual cause had not been established.
There have also been allegations that overcrowding and poor ventilation at the detention facility may have contributed to the deaths.
Against the backdrop of the conflicting accounts, Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the incident as a grave matter requiring urgent investigation and accountability.
The President declared that being accused of illegal mining did not diminish the detainees’ fundamental rights or the government’s responsibility to protect them while in custody.
‘While the Federal Government would continue to combat illegal mining and other criminal activities across the country, enforcement operations must be conducted strictly within the law and with full respect for the dignity and fundamental rights of every person in custody.
‘The fact that these individuals were suspected of illegal mining does not in any way remove their right to life, dignity and humane treatment while in government custody.
‘Government will not tolerate mass deaths arising from official negligence, dereliction of duty or failure by public officials to protect the lives placed under their care.
‘Where the investigation establishes that any official, through action, abuse or negligence, contributed to these deaths, such an officer must be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law. There must be accountability’, Tinubu said.
Tinubu directed that the investigation should examine the entire chain of events, beginning with the arrests and the physical condition of the suspects when they were taken into custody.
According to him, investigators must establish the conditions under which the suspects were detained, the number of people held in the facility, medical attention provided to them and the events immediately preceding their deaths.
The President also stressed that the suspension of officials connected with the incident should not be regarded as sufficient punishment if evidence of criminal responsibility emerges.
‘The suspension of officers is only an administrative step and must not substitute for a proper determination of criminal responsibility where the evidence warrants prosecution,’ he said.
The warning followed the suspension of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, as investigations into the incident intensified.
The NSCDC has also constituted an investigative team headed by the Deputy Commandant-General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The Niger State Police Command has separately opened an investigation, with Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, directing the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to take charge of the probe.
The bodies were taken to the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to determine the cause of death, although reports on Friday said some of the victims had subsequently been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.
Amnesty International has also demanded an independent investigation, saying the probe should be prompt, thorough, impartial and transparent.
The organisation said some of those who died were minors, an assertion that has heightened demands for accountability over the conditions in which the suspects were held.
The deaths sparked protests in parts of Minna on Friday, with security personnel deploying tear gas as demonstrators demanded answers over the incident.
Some protesters clashed with security personnel and attempted to attack government facilities, according to reports.
Tinubu directed the Ministry of Interior and the leadership of the NSCDC to cooperate fully with all authorities investigating the incident, warning that no officer should interfere with or attempt to frustrate efforts to establish the truth.
The President extended condolences to the families of those who died and appealed for calm in the affected families and communities, assuring them that the government would follow the evidence and take appropriate action.
‘We must never allow the pursuit of one form of illegality to create another. The government must enforce the law firmly, but it must also obey the law. The sanctity of human life is non-negotiable,’ Tinubu said.