The suspended Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and 21 other officers have been detained in Abuja as investigations continue into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were reportedly in the corps’ custody.
The development follows the suspension of the commandant and the commencement of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
A senior NSCDC officer at the corps’ national headquarters disclosed on Friday that the affected personnel had been summoned to Abuja to assist investigators in establishing what happened to the miners.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the suspended commandant, the officer who carried out the arrests, the investigation officer and other personnel connected to the incident had arrived in Abuja and were being held in custody.
NSCDC spokesperson Afolabi Babawale confirmed the development, stating that the suspended commandant and other officers involved in the matter were currently in custody.
He explained that those detained included senior personnel overseeing the corps’ legal, intelligence and mining units, as well as the officer in charge of the facility where the suspected miners were detained.
Babawale added that the head of the NSCDC Intelligence Unit was questioning the officers as part of the ongoing investigation.
“Investigation is ongoing into the matter,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, a survivor of the incident has made a separate allegation concerning the mining location where the deceased miners were arrested.
The survivor, Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera, alleged that the mining site belonged to former military Head of State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
Nasera made the claim while recounting the arrest and death of his 17-year-old brother, Salim, who was reportedly among those detained by NSCDC personnel.
In a video seen by SaharaReporters, Nasera alleged that the miners were arrested at the site and remained in custody for about three days before their deaths were discovered.
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He further claimed that the authorities wanted the miners to stop operating at the site, despite what he described as an instruction from the alleged owner that mining activities should continue.
The claims surrounding ownership of the mining site have not been independently established, while the NSCDC investigation into the deaths remains ongoing.
The detention of the officers is expected to form part of efforts by the authorities to determine the circumstances that led to the deaths and establish whether any individuals or officials bear responsibility.