Nigeria’s government has established a 10-member independent panel to investigate the deaths of 37 people who died in a crowded detention cell in the central state of Niger, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said Saturday.
The men were found dead Thursday inside a holding cell in Minna, the state capital, after being arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on suspicion of illegal gold mining.
Survivors said the detainees had been held in overcrowded conditions with poor ventilation. One survivor alleged that a substance that caused irritation to the throat and nose was sprayed into the cell before the door was closed.
The survivors also said their pleas for help went unanswered.
President Bola Tinubu ordered a “full and transparent investigation” into the deaths on Friday, saying the government would not tolerate fatalities resulting from official negligence, abuse or dereliction of duty.
The investigative panel includes a retired senior intelligence officer, a medical expert, a human rights activist and a representative of the miners’ association.
The panel has two weeks to complete its investigation and submit a report determining responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, Tunji-Ojo said.
Meanwhile, 20 NSCDC officers and guards involved in the arrests and detention of the miners have been suspended pending the investigation. The commander in charge of the unit was suspended on Friday.
Niger State is rich in mineral resources and has attracted thousands of artisanal miners seeking gold and other deposits, making mining a major source of livelihood in several communities.
The investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths, the conditions inside the detention facility and the actions of officials responsible for the arrests and detention.
