The independent ministerial committee investigating the recent deaths of 33 persons in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Minna, Niger State, has established the causes of the deaths.
The chairman of the committee, Jonathan Kure, disclosed this on Tuesday while presenting the investigation report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Kure identified the causes of the deaths as “overcrowding, unsuitable detention condition, failure of duty of care, inadequate supervision.”
According to the committee, the miners were exposed to extreme heat and dehydration due to overcrowding in the detention facility, making it difficult for them to breathe and survive.
The committee further revealed that the operation that led to the arrest of the suspects was carried out without an operational order or approval from the national headquarters of the NSCDC.
The findings raise concerns about the conditions under which the miners were detained and the procedures followed during the operation that led to their arrest.