Tunji-Ojo vows suspension of officers over miners’ deaths in NSCDC custody
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has vowed to suspend all officers identified as having destroyed evidence relating to the deaths of miners in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
Tunji-Ojo gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the report of the independent ministerial committee investigating the incident, which claimed the lives of 33 persons, according to the committee.
He thanked the committee, chaired by Jonathan Kure, for completing its assignment, adding that the report would be forwarded to the Attorney-General and other relevant agencies for further action.
The minister assured Nigerians that justice would be served to honour the lives lost in the incident.
“I want to assure Nigerians that this government and administration will never leave you to insecurity. We’ll never let you walk alone,” he said..
The committee identified overcrowding, unsuitable detention conditions, failure of duty of care and inadequate supervision as the major causes of the deaths.
It said the fatalities resulted from environmental asphyxia caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded cell, aggravated by heat stress and dehydration.
The panel also found that the operation that led to the arrest of the suspects was conducted without an operational order or approval from the NSCDC national headquarters.
