The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the agency’s custody.
Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ordered the immediate suspension on Friday, while directing a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Aniviye is to remain suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
The victims were among scores of suspected illegal miners arrested during enforcement operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto axis of Minna, Niger State.
The detainees were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, barely one to two days after their arrests.
Tunji-Ojo described the incident as unfortunate and said the government’s priority remained the protection of lives.
“It is an unfortunate incident; however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” the minister said.
He appealed for calm while the investigation proceeds and expressed condolences to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the families of the deceased.
Before his suspension, Aniviye had attributed the deaths to what he described as a suspected disease outbreak. He said those who died were among suspects detained following the two-day operation against illegal mining and that their bodies had been taken to the General Hospital in Minna for medical examination.
The NSCDC headquarters has, however, cautioned that no specific disease has yet been established as the cause of death and said any such conclusion would depend on medical and laboratory findings.
Commandant-General Ahmed Abubakar Audi has separately constituted a high-powered investigative team headed by the Deputy Commandant-General responsible for Intelligence and Investigation.
The panel is expected to examine the detainees’ physical condition at the time of arrest, how long they were held, conditions inside the detention facility, medical care provided and the circumstances immediately preceding the deaths.
Niger State Government has also established its own committee of inquiry headed by Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba and ordered forensic examinations and autopsies to determine the exact cause of death.
The police have opened a separate investigation, while Amnesty International has demanded an independent, impartial and transparent inquiry. The rights group said the reported presence of minors among the dead made it particularly important to establish how the arrests ended in such a large loss of life.
The multiple investigations significantly widen scrutiny of the incident beyond the NSCDC’s internal process and could determine whether detention conditions, medical failures or other factors contributed to the deaths.
The suspension follows Thursday’s disclosure that 37 suspected illegal miners had died after being arrested during an NSCDC crackdown in Niger State. Initial reports gave differing figures of between 33 and 40 deaths, but the Niger State Government has since confirmed 37 and declared three days of mourning.
The incident comes amid intensified enforcement against illegal mining across Nigeria, but attention has now shifted sharply to the treatment of suspects in custody.
The NSCDC, police and Niger State Government have announced separate independent investigations.
