CSO Demands Prosecution Of Officers Over Deaths Of 37 Miners

The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) has called for the dismissal and prosecution of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers found culpable in the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners at a detention facility in Minna, Niger State.

The council also urged President Bola Tinubu to approve a special intervention fund and increase budgetary allocations to security agencies to upgrade detention facilities nationwide.

The Executive Director of NCSCN, Amb. Blessing Akinlosotu, made the demands on Wednesday in Abuja while reacting to the report of the Federal Government’s independent committee set up to investigate the incident.

Akinlosotu described the detention facility as deplorable, overcrowded, poorly ventilated and unfit for human habitation, saying the conditions contributed to the suffocation of the detainees.

He commended the 10-member committee, chaired by former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure, for its investigation, while applauding the suspension of 21 NSCDC officers in connection with the incident.

The council, however, demanded stiffer sanctions against officers of the corps’ Niger State Command found responsible for the deaths.

According to Akinlosotu, the tragedy exposed not only negligence and unprofessional conduct but also systemic underfunding of security agencies saddled with multiple responsibilities.

He said the NSCDC and other security agencies were expected to protect lives and property, prevent illegal mining, safeguard critical national assets, support the Safe School Initiative, manage agro-rangers operations and respond to disasters, despite operating with inadequate infrastructure.

“You cannot demand 21st-century security delivery with 19th-century funding,” he said.

The council called on the Federal Government to make adequate budgetary provisions for the renovation and construction of detention facilities, stressing the need for humane and well-ventilated holding centres across the country.

Akinlosotu also called for an end to the unjust detention of citizens, urging security and law enforcement agencies to ensure that suspects were promptly arraigned before competent courts.

He said timely arraignment would help prevent prolonged and unlawful detention while safeguarding citizens’ constitutional rights to fair hearing and human dignity.

The NCSCN also defended the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, insisting that the committee’s report did not indict him.

According to the council, the report established that the operations in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto were conducted without operational orders or the knowledge and approval of the corps’ national headquarters.

Akinlosotu cautioned against politicising the incident or using the operational failures at the state level to discredit the corps’ national leadership and the Federal Government.

He described Audi as a professional and reform-minded security chief who had transformed the NSCDC through reforms focused on discipline, professionalism and respect for human rights.

The council argued that responsibility should be placed on officers directly involved in the incident rather than extended to the corps’ national leadership without evidence of culpability.

It urged Tinubu to study and implement the committee’s recommendations, including approving funds for standard detention facilities in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The proposed intervention, it said, should also cover operational vehicles, modern surveillance and communication equipment, as well as continuous training for security personnel on custodial management and human rights.

The council further called for a national emergency on detention facilities and correctional centres, warning that poor custodial conditions posed a threat to human dignity and national security.