An independent committee inaugurated by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on Tuesday has been given two weeks to investigate the deaths of 37 detainees in NSCDC custody in Niger State.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Minister charged the panel to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident and recommend measures to prevent future occurrences.
“Any attempt by anybody to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct those who have structured this investigation will be treated as a serious offence against the nation. It will not be tolerated,” Tunji-Ojo warned.
The Minister directed the NSCDC leadership and relevant officers to preserve all records and material evidence connected with the incident and make them available to the committee.
He maintained that the assignment must be insulated from official influence, with members expected to pursue the facts regardless of the persons or institutions that might be implicated.
“This committee is not an extension of the Ministry of Interior, neither is it an extension of the NSCDC. It is an independent committee, and its job is to establish the truth,” Tunji-Ojo declared.
According to him, the panel will establish the immediate and remote causes of the deaths, including the time and locations involved, while examining how the affected persons came into NSCDC custody.
It will also scrutinise the legality and suitability of the detention facility, the duration of detention and compliance with applicable laws, procedures and human-rights standards.
The Minister mandated the committee to determine whether the deceased suffered torture, inhumane treatment or denial of medical attention while in custody.
“The committee has the liberty to interview officers, detainees, families of the deceased, witnesses, medical personnel and indeed anybody that can assist in getting to the bottom of this matter,” he stated.
According to the minister, panel will also examine medical and autopsy reports, detention records, photographs and other physical evidence, while also reviewing the NSCDC’s operational mandate and rules of engagement in illegal-mining enforcement.
It will further determine whether negligence or professional misconduct occurred and establish individual or institutional responsibility where the evidence supports such findings.
“No officer, no matter how highly placed, or any individual, not just officers, will be shielded. Whoever needs to be prosecuted, will be prosecuted, and whoever needs to be dealt with in line with the law, will be dealt with,” Tunji-Ojo declared.
The committee may recommend disciplinary, administrative or legal action, as well as compensation and other remedial measures for affected families where appropriate.
It has also been empowered to co-opt experts, visit relevant locations, access facilities and documents, conduct forensic examinations and make other inquiries necessary to complete its work.
The committee is chaired by Mr Jonathan Kure, mni, retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, former Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, serves as Secretary.
Other members are AIG Hosea Hassan Karma (retired), Prof. Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; and Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria.
Also on the committee are Mr Deji Adeyanju, lawyer and human-rights activist; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and Dr George Agbakahi, Public Affairs Analyst.
On his part, Kure pledged that the committee would approach the assignment without prejudice, urging members to resist narratives surrounding the incident and concentrate on evidence gathered during their investigation.
“We are going to the field with open minds. We are not swayed by sentiments, by media hype and whatever iteration has been seen, so that at the end, our report is what we found in the field,” Kure declared.
The Minister disclosed that the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and officers who were on duty and handling station and guard duties between September 15 and 17 had been suspended pending the investigation.
He appealed to the families of the deceased to remain calm, assuring them that the government would not abandon them while the committee carries out its assignment.
Tunji-Ojo also made clear that the investigation was expected to produce consequences where wrongdoing was established, rather than merely document what occurred.
“After this investigation, whoever needs to face the full hammer of the law will face the full hammer of the law. And whoever needs to be dealt with administratively will be dealt with administratively,” he declared.
PerSecondNews correspondent also reports that Tunji-Ojo also framed the investigation as part of a broader responsibility to ensure that government institutions remain places of protection and accountability, rather than locations where lives could be lost without explanation.
“No life should be lost in the custody of the state or anywhere else in Nigeria. No life should be lost unjustified. Government institutions should be places of confidence, places of security and places where people know their rights will be protected.”
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