37 miners’ deaths: Presidential panel blames extreme heat, overcrowding in NSCDC custody

An independent presidential investigative committee probing the deaths of 37 miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, has attributed the deaths to extreme heat, overcrowding and poor detention conditions.

The committee also identified failure of duty of care and inadequate supervision as some of the factors that contributed to the deaths.

The chairman of the committee, Jonathan Kure, disclosed the findings on Tuesday while presenting the executive summary of its report to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.

According to Kure, the deaths were linked to “overcrowding, unsuitable detention condition, failure of care on duty, and inadequate supervision,” among other factors.

The committee also recommended a major overhaul of the NSCDC leadership, including that of its Commandant-General, Prof Ahmed Audi.

It maintained that the corps’ leadership could not be exonerated from the incident, given its responsibility for the management and supervision of detention facilities.

It maintained that there are institutional lapses and gaps on the parts of the NSCDC personnel who carried out the operations leading to the death of the Miners.

Parts of the reports of the Committee reads: “The committee concluded that the incident was a preventable custodial tragedy caused by severe overcrowding, unlawful and unsuitable detention conditions, failure of duty of care, disregard of repeated distress warnings, inadequate supervision, and wider systemic deficiencies.

“The evidence did not support claims that the death resulted from a disease outbreak. Available medical and forensic evidence instead indicated that the fatalities resulted from an environmental aphasia, an acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated detention cell, aggravated by heat stress and dehydration.

“The investigation included interviews with NSCDC leadership, operational personnel, cell guards, medical staff, survivors, bereaved families, community representatives, and graveside managers.

It also involved examination of arrest and detention registers, communication records, duty rosters, AZB registers, hospital and mortuary records, autopsy findings, and burial records. 29 of the 41 survivors were interviewed, including nine minors

“Evidence from multiple independent sources was analysed and cross-checked to reconstruct events and determine responsibility. The committee established that the tragedy stemmed from enforcement operations against suspected illegal mining activities in and around Minna”.

The Committee, however, noted that there was no evidence that the operation which led to the arrest of the suspects got an “operational order” or approval from the national headquarters of the NSCDC.

In his remarks, the Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo traced the Committee’s establishment to President Bola Tinubu who insisted that a thorough investigation must be carried out as the lives of all Nigerians are important irrespective of status and other considerations.

He said the composition of the Committee demonstrated that government had no intention to hide anything or sweep the matter under the carpet. He said the Committee’s reports and recommendations would be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice with a view to implement the recommendations.

He assured that the government would take every necessary steps to ensure that such an incident would not happen again, stressing that it is government that believe in reforms of the system to ensure accountability and transparency in its relationships with the citizens.

Tunji-Ojo also assured that the NSCDC would witness reforms that would make it more professional and responsive to its core mandates, and praised the Committee for doing a thorough job.

The Committee also recommended payment of 30 million naira compensation by government to each of the families of the victim of the Minna incident.

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