The mysterious death of about 37 out of the 65 persons arrested in connection with Illegal mining in Niger State has elicited outrage in society.
The 37 died under unknown circumstances in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State last Thursday.
The incident, which has also elicited protest over the safety of citizens from security agencies saddled with responsibility.
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 others, ordering probe into the development.
Indigenes are calling for urgent accountability to stem the needless killing in the country, as human rights organisations and relations of the slain illegal miners demand urgent but full investigation to unravel the full scale of the matter.
On Thursday, NSCDC said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Surviving detainees alleged that 65 people were crammed into one cell before operatives sprayed a substance inside and locked the door. Thirty-seven of the detainees later died in custody.
The survivor spoke when Umar Bago, governor of Niger State, and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of Interior, met with survivors of the incident.
The survivor said the substance smelled like perfume but caused a burning sensation in the throat and eyes.
He also said that the cell was overcrowded and that some detainees subsequently collapsed because of the extreme heat.
‘The room was very small. At first, they put 17 of us inside, then brought in another 48 people. We told them the room was too small, but they refused to listen to us. They ordered us all to stand up because we were so crowded inside.
‘Then, they sprayed something and locked the door. Some people began collapsing from the extreme heat. We begged them for water, but they said no. That same night, I fainted and didn’t know what happened until morning.
‘I don’t know what type of spray it was. It smelled like perfume, but it felt very hot in our throats and made our eyes water. After that, I didn’t know what happened because I spent the night unconscious.’
Consequently, some parents of the victims have demanded compensation to serve as a deterrent to other law enforcement personnel against such acts.
A 50-year-old man, Musa Aliyu, who has been sick for the past year, said he lost two of his children: Ibrahim (17) and Abubakar (12) in the incident.
‘These children have helped me to sustain my medication. They contribute money to buy drugs for me. I leave the killers of my children with Allah,’ he said while struggling to control his tears.
Government imposes curfew as protesters destroy property
Following attacks on public and private assets by angry youths protesting over the incident, Governor Bago has imposed a 12-hour curfew in Minna to forestall further breaches of law and order.
BusinessDay gathered that about 20 buses/vehicles belonging to the Niger State Transport Authority, as well as buses belonging to Kano Line and other commercial operators, were destroyed beyond repairs in the Tunga area of Minna.
Victims are between the ages of 14 and 18 – Bago
The governor announced the curfew when he received the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on a condolence visit.
The governor said the curfew, which began yesterday, would run from 6pm to 6am to check attacks on public and private assets by protesters.
He said the state’s transport company’s buses and the All Progressives Congress (APC) offices had been destroyed, adding that ‘vandals are taking over the street and there is a need for us to curtail this so that we can have calm in the society.’
Bago said the victims who died were between the ages of 14 and 18.
The governor also announced a ban on mining in the state and directed all miners to stay off their sites.
He urged citizens to exercise restraint and assured them that the government would get to the root causes of the incident to prevent a recurrence.
He said the activities of illegal mining were taking a toll on schoolchildren, leading to dropouts.
It requires a multidisciplinary forensic investigation, not attribution- chemical expert
Mustapha Tijjani Usman, Chemical Security and Safety Consultant, noted that possible exposure to hazardous substances occurred because the deceased were reportedly arrested following mining activities; investigators should consider possible exposure to hazardous substances associated with artisanal mining.
Experts said these may include toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury, as well as other elements. However, detection of a metal in a biological specimen does not, by itself, establish that the metal caused death.
According to him, the deaths in Niger state require a multidisciplinary forensic investigation rather than attribution to a single chemical cause.
‘Potential heavy-metal exposure associated with mining, respiratory compromise resulting from environmental conditions, and possible inhalational exposure should be investigated independently and collectively. Definitive conclusions should be based on autopsy findings, validated toxicological analyses, environmental evidence, and a properly documented chain of custody.
‘The concentration, route and duration of exposure, clinical findings, autopsy results, and other forensic evidence must be considered. Suffocation and environmental conditions
The investigation should also examine the reported overcrowding and inadequate ventilation in the detention facility.
He added that difficulty in breathing and other respiratory symptoms reported by survivors make environmental and respiratory factors important areas of investigation. The possibility of oxygen deficiency, excessive carbon dioxide, toxic gases, or other environmental hazards should be assessed where scientifically justified.
He revealed that rapid death can occur following severe exposure to certain toxic gases or chemicals, particularly in confined or poorly ventilated environments.
‘The investigation should consider both inhalational hazards and potential heavy-metal exposure. Tear-gas exposure should only be considered relevant if the chronology and available evidence establish that the deceased were actually exposed to it before or during the fatal event. Forensic post-mortem toxicology
Forensic post-mortem toxicology is important when poisoning or chemical exposure is suspected.
Communities are left at the mercy of illegal miners – Experts
Speaking on the development, Charles Pen, a security analyst, chided the federal government for its inaction on how illegal mining is flourishing without hindrance, hinting that politicians and influencers in those mining communities could not exonerate themselves from what he described as ‘networks of criminal miners disguised under banditry to destroy national common wealth’.
He pointed out that these criminal networks hide behind a lack of strict regulations and enforcement to steal billions of dollars.
He said: ‘What happened in Niger State is sad, but this is how our country is being managed.
The operations of Nigeria’s security have been shrouded in secrecy, especially when you are talking about matters involving money, natural resources, and their exploitation. It has been shrouded in secrecy. The more you investigate, the more you look, the less you see because people are devising means by day to cover up one aspect of the thing to benefit, quote and unquote, those in leadership positions and the criminal networks to either extract or sell the products or buy, as the case may be.’
He continued, ‘Now, why has this persevered? In my opinion, it is due to a lack of strict regulations. Now, why a lack of strict regulation? Those who will put the regulation in place are the ones benefiting from it, which is why it’s impossible to control this sector.
‘It also goes to explain the lack of this strict regulation: why the communities are left at the mercy of nothing, the communities where these mining operations take place, their environment is degraded-no compensation, no recognition, not even corporate social responsibility, rather at this. We can’t continue like this, and the federal government must put an end to illegal mining, and all our mining sites must be digitally tracked. This is how a responsible government works for citizens, not a few influencers in the country,’ he warned.
Northern governors, NHRC, Alake seek probe
The Northern Nigeria Governors Forum (NNGF) has called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragic death of the 37 persons.
A statement issued on behalf of his colleagues, the chairman of the Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, noted that the loss of so many lives, particularly while the victims were in custody, was a matter of grave concern to the NNGF.
He expressed deep grief and strong concern over the incident and urged the relevant authorities to establish the facts and determine what happened before, during and after the victims were taken into custody.
He stressed that regardless of the circumstances surrounding their arrest, every human life is valuable and must be treated with dignity and protected in accordance with the law.
‘We must allow the facts to emerge through a credible investigation. The families of the deceased deserve answers, and Nigerians deserve clarity on the circumstances surrounding this painful tragedy,’ he said.
He also urged calm and restraint among residents, particularly the families and communities affected by the tragedy, stressing that justice and accountability are best served when investigations are allowed to proceed without interference.
On his part, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, called for an investigation into the deaths of persons detained in Minna, Niger State, over alleged illegal mining activities.
Alake made the call in a statement on Friday while expressing condolences to the Niger State Government and families of the deceased.
Also, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has strongly condemned the tragic deaths of approximately 37 alleged artisanal miners while held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
Reacting to the incident, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, expressed deep concern over the fatalities. The victims were detained following enforcement operations in the Wushishi-Lukoto axis on September 15 and 16, and their bodies were subsequently deposited at the Minna General Hospital.
Extending heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and the government and people of Niger State, Ojukwu confirmed that the Commission has launched a preliminary investigation to establish the immediate and remote causes of death.
‘Suspicion of criminal activity, including illegal mining, does not strip any citizen of their constitutional protections.
‘Individuals in law enforcement custody retain the full complement of their fundamental rights, including the right to life and dignity as guaranteed by national laws and international human rights treaties,’ Ojukwu stated.
FG outraged, suspends Niger State NSCDC Commandant 20 others
Meanwhile, the federal government has announced the suspension of 20 officials of the
NSCDC.
Tunji-Ojo, minister of Interior, said the government has also set up an independent committee to investigate the reported deaths of 37 people held by the NSCDC, Niger State Command, on suspicion of illegal mining.
The Committee headed by Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General, Department of State Services, as Chairman, also has Isa Hayatu Chiroma, a lawyer and former Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, as Secretary
It also has an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Hosea Hassan Karma (retired)
and Olayinka Buhari, a Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital as member.