Miners’ deaths: FG probes 37 fatalities, vows no cover-up

The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated an independent investigative committee to probe the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who inaugurated the committee, said the panel was constituted to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and recommend appropriate actions.

According to the minister, the committee would identify the deceased and establish the immediate and remote causes, as well as the time and place of their deaths.

He also said the committee would investigate the circumstances leading to their arrest and detention, examine the legality and conditions of the detention facility, and determine whether relevant laws, detention procedures and human rights standards were complied with.

Tunji-Ojo said, “This committee must be independent of every official. This committee is responsible for only the truth, and nothing more. Let me declare the mandate of this committee.

“The mandate of this committee is to identify the deceased person as such an immediate and remote cause of their death, as well as the time and place of their death.

“So, identify the circumstances leading to the arrest and detention of the deceased persons by the NSCDC in Nigeria.

“Third, examine the legality, feasibility, or otherwise of the detention facility, the duration of detention, and compliance with relevant laws, detention procedures, and human rights standards.

“Investigate whether or not the deceased persons were tortured, inhumanely treated, or denied medical care or attention during their detention.

“Five, investigate whether or not there was negligence or professional misconduct by any officer or officers during the detention. Review the operational mandates of the NSCDC regarding illegal money enforcement and the rules of engagement.”

He stated further, “Interview all relevant persons, including the officers involved, other detainees, families of the deceased, witnesses and medical personnel, and any other persons with relevant information.

“Eight, examine medical and autopsy reports, detention records, and other relevant documents featuring physical and material evidence.”

Tunji-Ojo said the committee had been given full authority to access relevant facilities and documents and conduct forensic examinations.

“Examine individual or institutional compatibility. Also, recommend appropriate disciplinary, administrative, or legal action against any persons found guilty. Recommend compensation or other remedial measures for the families of the deceased where applicable,” he said.

He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would attract serious consequences.

“Any attempt by anybody to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses, or obstruct this investigation will be treated as a serious offence against the nation, and it will not be tolerated,” he said.

The minister also assured Nigerians and the families of the deceased that the government would ensure justice.

“We owe you the truth. This committee will give you the truth. No officer, no matter how highly placed, or any individual, not just an officer, will be shielded if found culpable. Justice will be done,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo said the report of the committee would not be suppressed, assuring that those found culpable would be prosecuted or dealt with in accordance with the law.

“This report will not be swept under the carpet. We will call a meeting like this to present the report. And whoever needs to be prosecuted will be prosecuted,” he said.

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Appealing to the families, he assured that they would not be abandoned.

“To the families who lost loved ones, I appeal for calm and patience. This government will not and will never abandon you,” he said.

The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while a former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), will serve as secretary.

Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof Olayinka Buhari, a professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; and a representative of the Niger State Government.

Also on the panel are National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Liman Sulaiman; lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju; Blueprint Newspapers journalist, Mrs Zainab Okino; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.

The chairman of the committee said members considered their appointment a call to national service and pledged to investigate with integrity.

Kure said, “This is a privilege, and we do not see it as an appointment but a call to national service. Some of us have had the opportunity to serve this nation for 35 years, and even in retirement, we are always willing to answer this type of call on the premise that my name, my integrity, will not in any way be toyed with.”

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the Peoples Redemption Party, Yakubu Kingsley, has urged the investigative panel to conduct a transparent and impartial investigation.

Kingsley, a presidential aspirant of the PRP, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, expressed concern over reports surrounding the deaths of the miners while in the custody of the NSCDC.

He said the accounts emerging from survivors were “deeply distressing” and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Kingsley said, “Whatever the circumstances that led to their detention, they remained human beings whose lives deserved protection, dignity and humane treatment.”

He said reports that some detainees were kept in an overcrowded cell, struggled to breathe and repeatedly called for help before some of them died warranted a transparent investigation.

“The investigative panel probing the deaths of 37 suspected artisanal miners in Minna, Niger State, should conduct a transparent and impartial investigation. Nigerians deserve to know the outcome of the investigation,” he said.

The PRP chieftain also urged the panel to examine the broader circumstances driving Nigerians, including young people, into hazardous artisanal mining.

He said poverty, unemployment and limited access to formal employment, education and sustainable livelihoods had contributed to the growth of artisanal mining in resource-rich communities.

Kingsley, however, said the circumstances did not justify illegal mining, environmental destruction or criminal exploitation of the nation’s mineral resources.

He said enforcement alone could not address the problem without tackling its underlying economic causes.

“Enforcement alone cannot address a problem whose roots also lie in poverty, unemployment and the absence of viable alternatives,” he said.

Kingsley also expressed concern over reports that some of those who died were teenagers, describing illegal mining as a “national development crisis.”