Nigeria investigates deaths of 37 illegal mining suspects — Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria’s federal government has sent a team of mining specialists and technical experts to Niger State to assist in investigating the deaths of 37 people detained on suspicion of illegal mining. They died while in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the city of Minna.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Nigeria’s Ministry of Solid Minerals Development said the experts are to establish the circumstances of the incident and determine whether activities at mining sites or other factors could have been linked to the detainees’ deaths.
The causes of death have not yet been established
The ministry’s permanent secretary, Farouk Yabo, who led the federal delegation on behalf of Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake, said the review would cover the circumstances before, during and after the people were held in custody. According to him, a report on the circumstances of the deaths will be prepared following the work.
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Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago stressed that it was premature to draw final conclusions about the causes of death. Investigators, he said, are considering possible suffocation due to overcrowding, as well as the impact of hazardous substances associated with mining operations. State authorities ordered forensic examinations, including autopsies, to determine the cause of death.
NSCDC officials suspended
NSCDC commander in Niger State Suberu Aniwiye and members of his team have been suspended pending the investigation. The NSCDC national leadership has also established a special commission to examine the condition of the detainees at the time of their arrest, the duration and conditions of their detention, and the provision of medical care to them.
The incident sparked protests in some areas of Minna. Separate investigations are also being conducted by the Niger State government, the NSCDC, the Nigeria Police Force and other institutions. Governor Bago announced the suspension of mining activities in the state until the results of the investigations are made public.
