*Northern senators, NBA, CD demand independent investigation
*Babangida denies ownership of mining site, calls for investigation
Alex Enumah, Michael Olugbode, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna
The federal government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners detained last Thursday by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, the Niger State capital.
This development followed Friday’s directive by President Bola Tinubu for a “full and transparent” investigation into the deaths of the suspected illegal miners.
The Northern Senators Forum (NSF), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Campaign for Democracy (CD) have also called for a thorough, independent and transparent probe into the incident.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also released the names of the 21 officers suspended so far in connection with the incident.
This is just as the former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.), has denied ownership of the mining site in Minna where some of the suspected illegal miners were arrested before they died in the custody of the NSCDC.
Babangida alongside former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), also called for thorough and extensive investigations into the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also commenced a preliminary investigation into the incident.
On Thursday, the NSCDC said it arrested the suspects during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna.
The NSCDC commandant in Niger State, Suberu Aniviye, had claimed in a statement that “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.
Following the development, the federal government suspended him and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Tunji-Ojo directed the suspension of all officers involved in the incident pending the conclusion of the independent committee’s investigation.
“The minister directed the committee to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence, and misconduct, and to recommend appropriate action, compensation where applicable, and measures to prevent a recurrence,” the statement reads.
The minister also warned that “any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence.”
A retired deputy director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure, chairs the committee. In contrast, former director-general of the Nigeria Law School Isa Hayatu Chiroma will serve as secretary.
Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Hosea Karma; former chief medical director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Olayinka Buhari; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; and a representative of the Niger State government.
Also on the list are National Secretary of Miners Association of Nigeria, Liman Sulaiman; human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju; Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and a public affairs analyst, George Agbakahi.
The full list of the officers so far suspended, in addition to the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, are: Officer-in-Charge (O/C) Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka; Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed; Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed; Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday; Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis; Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino; O/C Legal, ACC Stephen Tsado; and HOD INT/INV, DCC Philip Ajayi.
Others are: Day/Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed; Guard Duty, IC Abdullahi Sale; Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Sonfada; Guard Duty, CAI Liman Abubakar; Guard Duty, CAI Bala Usman; Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Jiya; Guard Duty, DSC Isah Suleiman; Guard Duty, CAI Ahmed Wushishi; Guard Duty, IC Sale Adamu; Guard Duty, IC Haruna Mohammed; Guard Duty, ASCI Aliyu Sallah; and Guard Duty, CAI Isah Sanusi.
Meanwhile, NHRC has also commenced a preliminary investigation into the incident.
Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Mr Tony Ojukwu, condemned the incident and expressed concern over the loss of lives in state custody, particularly as the precise cause of death remains subject to investigation.
According to the commission, the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination, while security authorities have initiated separate investigations.
Ojukwu, in a statement issued by the organisation’s Director, Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, Fatimah Mohammed, directed the Commission’s preliminary investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the deaths.
He also called for an independent forensic autopsy and the preservation of all relevant evidence.
He further stressed that the investigations already ordered by the Minister of Interior and the NSCDC must be conducted transparently, thoroughly and in accordance with international standards governing investigations into potentially unlawful deaths in custody.
“Citizens who are arrested on suspicion by law enforcement agents are by law expected to enjoy the full complement of their fundamental human rights in accordance with national and international human rights instruments,” Ojukwu said.
Northern Senators, NBA, CD Demand Independent Probe
Meanwhile, the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) has demanded an immediate, transparent and independent investigation into the incident.
The senators also called for independent autopsies on all the victims. They demanded that anyone found culpable of criminal negligence, unlawful detention, reckless conduct or any deliberate act that contributed to the deaths should be prosecuted, irrespective of rank or position.
The Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua, in a statement issued yesterday, said the circumstances surrounding the deaths were “deeply disturbing and unacceptable.”
He stressed that no Nigerian should lose his life in the custody of an agency established to protect lives and property.
The senators also demanded answers to questions surrounding the alleged distress calls, including when they were made, who heard them and what action was taken before the deaths occurred.
The President of the NBA, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), has also called for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of the 37 suspected miners.
The association said it had deliberately refrained from reaching conclusions on the cause of the deaths pending the outcome of investigations, stressing that the incident required evidence-based findings.
The NBA said the prompt response by the authorities was commendable but stressed that the credibility of the process would depend on the independence and thoroughness of the investigations.
“The true measure of the response will ultimately not be the speed with which investigations are announced, but rather the independence and thoroughness with which they are conducted, the transparency with which their findings are made known, and the accountability that follows from those findings,” it said.
The association also called for an investigation into wider illegal mining operations, including those who may have owned, financed, controlled, or profited from the activities.
Similarly, the CD has called on the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and other senior security officials to institute an independent investigation into the incident.
The group also called for the immediate suspension of the NSCDC Controller-General, pending the outcome of the investigation, arguing that such a step would help ensure the credibility and independence of the probe.
In a statement issued yesterday by its National President, Reverend Ifeanyi Odili, the CD said the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths required urgent clarification, transparency and accountability.
Babangida Debunks Reports on Ownership of Mining Site, Calls for Probe
Meanwhile, Babangida has denied ownership of the mining site in Minna where some of the suspected illegal miners were arrested before their death.
Babangida said in a statement made available to journalists in Minna yesterday that the publication claiming he owns the site “is totally false and without foundation”.
In the statement, signed on his behalf by Tambari Kagara, Alhaji Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, the former military president categorically debunked the report and demanded that the false impression it created be corrected.
The statement added: “It’s on record that General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the Madakin Minna, has lived closely and peacefully with his people since retirement in 1993”, adding that: “At 85, what he requires is prayers, not blackmail.”
Babangida had earlier, in a separate statement, condemned the death of the miners, describing the incident as not only “tragic” but “deeply disturbing.”
On his part, former Head of State, General Abubakar, called for an in-depth investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and ensure that measures are taken to prevent a recurrence. Abdulsalami, in a separate statement, described the deaths of the 37 young people as a painful loss to their families, communities, Niger State and Nigeria while extending his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for strength for those affected by the tragedy.
The former Head of State also urged relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen safety measures at mining sites, particularly to protect young people whose livelihoods depend on mining and other economic activities appealing for calm among the affected communities and called on the authorities to provide necessary support to the victims’ families.