24 NSCDC personnel detained over miners’ deaths
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested and detained 24 personnel of the Corps found culpable in the death of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State. The Corps Public Relations Officer, ACC Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this while parading the officers and men at the Corps Headquarters in Abuja, adding that three […]
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has detained 24 personnel in connection with the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State. The arrests come after the NSCDC took 37 miners into custody on September 15 and 16 over allegations of illegal mining. According to the NSCDC's Public Relations Officer, the detained officers are under investigation by the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee for misconduct.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State has stated that survivors of the incident allege overcrowding, poor ventilation, and the use of an unidentified substance, possibly tear gas or chemical irritants, inside the detention cells. The governor also noted that some detainees resorted to drinking their own urine due to thirst and placed their noses under the door to obtain air.
The state government is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths, separate from the federal investigation led by the NSCDC.
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