Horse’s Mouth News appreciates donations in support of good journalism and quality reportage. (Naira Account, Nigeria)
Account number: 6281917627
Account name: Horse’s Mouth News Media
Bank: Monie Point
FG suspends Niger NSCDC commandant, after 37 suspected illegal miners die in custody
Niger State commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Aniviye, has been suspended, following the death of 37 suspected illegal miners who were in the agency’s custody.
Nigeria’s interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, ordered his immediate suspension and a full investigation into the incident, which occurred on Thursday in Niger State.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the minister’s special adviser on media and publicity, Alao Babatunde, who stated that the miners were arrested during enforcement operations conducted in parts of Niger State on September 15.
“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended.
“We run a government whose ultimate priority is security of lives and we have worked to stay true to this,” the statement read.
The statement which commiserated with the family of the deceased and the Niger State government, further urged members of the public to remain calm and law-abiding, and allow for a transparent investigation.
In an earlier statement on Thursday, national spokesperson of the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, said an investigative team, led by the deputy commandant-general in charge of Intelligence and Investigation, had been mandated to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
The NSCDC had earlier blamed the deaths on a possible diphtheria outbreak in the prison facility, before the agency’s national headquarters later said the cause had not been established, as medical and laboratory tests were required.
“The NSCDC wishes to clarify that reports attributing the deaths to any specific disease remain subject to medical and laboratory confirmation,” it said in a statement.
