The Federal Government has moved to investigate the deaths of detainees in Minna following allegations that the victims were arrested over suspected illegal mining activities in Niger State.
Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, said on Friday that he had deployed a team of ministry officials to the state to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
The team, according to Alake, will collaborate with other investigators and submit a comprehensive report on the circumstances leading to the deaths.
The minister’s intervention links the incident to the government’s broader efforts to tackle illegal mining, while also raising questions about the treatment of persons detained in connection with suspected mining offences.
‘Given the allegation that the detained persons were arrested on suspicion of carrying out illegal mining, I have deployed a high-powered team of officials to Niger State to investigate the circumstances and ascertain the facts of the matter,’ Alake said.
Alake expressed condolences to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the people of Niger State, as well as the families and communities affected by the deaths.
He commended Bago for declaring a period of mourning and setting up an investigative framework to determine what happened.
The minister said a transparent and independent inquiry was necessary to establish accountability and help prevent similar incidents in Nigeria’s detention and correctional facilities.
The statement did not provide details on the number of detainees who died, the circumstances or timing of their deaths, where they were detained, or the specific allegations against them.
The ministry’s investigation is therefore expected to provide further details on the identities of those involved, the circumstances of their arrest and detention, and what led to their deaths.