NSCDC Officers Tampered With Evidence In 33 Miners’ Deaths — Tunji-Ojo

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has mentioned officers implicated within the deaths of 33 suspected unlawful miners within the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State will face disciplinary and doable prison motion for tampering with proof earlier than forensic investigators arrived.

Tunji-Ojo spoke on Tuesday in Abuja after receiving the report of the Federal Government’s impartial investigative committee, which probed the deaths in Minna.

He mentioned the report can be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for doable prosecution, whereas the Ministry of Interior would deal with suggestions inside its administrative jurisdiction.

The minister mentioned officers discovered to have hid, altered or destroyed proof needs to be held accountable.

He added that these implicated needs to be suspended pending additional investigation.

“You cannot disrupt and destroy evidence in a case where we lost 30-something people. That is wickedness,” he mentioned.

The committee discovered that 33 detainees, together with 14 minors, died from environmental asphyxia, or acute respiratory failure, after being held in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell.

Heat stress and dehydration had been mentioned to have worsened the situations.

The panel really useful N30m compensation for every of the 33 bereaved households and N10m for every of the 41 survivors, bringing the proposed compensation to N1.4bn.

The panel additionally really useful the prosecution of culpable officers, disciplinary motion towards these accountable, instructional help for dependants, medical and psychological assist for survivors, and a complete overhaul of the NSCDC.

The committee discovered that the detention space had been cleaned and altered earlier than impartial forensic investigators arrived. It additionally reported that the detention register for September 16 was lacking.

Tunji-Ojo mentioned the federal government would pursue the executive and judicial suggestions via the related authorities. However, he didn’t announce a deadline for his or her implementation.

“The Attorney-General, and I can tell you, he’s actually anxiously waiting for this,” the minister mentioned, including that the Attorney-General had contacted him a number of instances through the investigation to hunt updates.

Asked whether or not the federal government had set a timeline for implementing the suggestions, Tunji-Ojo mentioned the executive elements can be dealt with by the inside ministry, whereas the AGF’s workplace would oversee the judicial course of.

“Nothing will be swept under the carpet,” he mentioned.

The minister additionally acknowledged that failures had occurred and mentioned reforms can be pursued to forestall a recurrence.

“One assurance I would like to give is that there will be a complete reform,” he mentioned, including that the ministry would work with related authorities to make sure the NSCDC, an company established to guard Nigerians, didn’t hurt individuals in its custody.

Tunji-Ojo recalled that when the committee was inaugurated 5 weeks earlier, he had warned that officers who hid, disrupted or tried to destroy proof can be suspended.

He assured the bereaved households that the federal government wouldn’t abandon them.

“To Nigerians and to the families of the deceased, I want to assure you, this government will never leave you alone. You will never walk alone,” he mentioned.

On claims {that a} substance was sprayed contained in the detention facility, the committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, mentioned the panel had interviewed the ladies and male survivors and couldn’t substantiate the claims.

He mentioned the committee interviewed 24 ladies and 17 male survivors as a part of its investigation.

“Those claims couldn’t be proven,” Kure mentioned.

He mentioned the panel relied on interviews and medical proof, together with out there post-mortem and laboratory findings.

“There was nothing to indicate that something was spread. Nothing. It was purely what we have said here that we found,” he mentioned.