A ten-member independent committee set up by the federal government to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger state, has identified the cause of their deaths.
The committee found that the miners died from asphyxiation, a condition in which the body is deprived of adequate oxygen, potentially leading to unconsciousness, organ damage or death.
Jonathan Kure, chairman of the committee, spoke on Tuesday while presenting the panel’s report to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, in Abuja.
The federal government constituted the committee on September 19 following a directive by President Bola Tinubu for a “full and transparent” investigation into the deaths of the suspected illegal miners.
Tunji-Ojo announced the decision in a statement in which he listed the names of the 21 officers suspended in connection with the incident.
Two days before the committee was constituted, the NSCDC said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger state capital.
In a statement, Suberu Aniviye, the NSCDC commandant in Niger state, said “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.
Following the development, the federal government suspended the Niger state NSCDC commandant and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
However, on October 6, the panel requested a two-week extension to submit its report on the matter.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Kure said the panel travelled to Minna and inspected the custody facility, conducted autopsies, took witness statements from NSCDC personnel, survivors, families and other witnesses, and collected documentary and forensic evidence.
He noted that preliminary findings showed institutional gaps and overzealousness on the part of some officers, adding that greater professionalism was required in handling such sensitive cases.
The committee also recommended N1.4 billion Naira compensation for deceased families and survivors.
The 10-man investigative committee proposed the sum while presenting the report to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on Tuesday in Abuja.Track Exec Orders
The committee’s Chairman, retired Deputy Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure said that the committee proposed N30 million naira for each of the 33 bereaved families.
Kure added that the committee also proposed that N10 million naira be given to each of the 41 survivors, alongside educational, medical and psychological support.