An investigation committee has revealed that the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Siyaka Suberu, deliberately fabricated a press statement to hide the true cause behind the deaths of 33 detainees in custody.

The findings were detailed in a report submitted to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, by a 10-member investigative panel led by Jonathan Kure.

Key Findings of the Probe

• False Cover-Up: The report disclosed that Mr. Suberu personally authored and released a statement falsely claiming that a disease outbreak caused the deaths. The panel found that this was an intentional attempt to mislead the public and conceal the tragedy, while pinning the blame on subordinates.

• True Cause of Death: Medical examinations and post-mortem reports for three of the victims—Emmanuel Emeka, Kabiru Suleiman, and Idris Haruna—revealed that they died from environmental asphyxia and hypoxia. The deaths were driven by severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat stress, and dehydration inside the cell.

• Unexamined Victims: Although 30 other detainees had already been buried before the pathology team arrived, the committee concluded that their shared circumstances and timing strongly suggested they suffered the exact same fate. Investigators noted that infection, trauma, custodial violence, and natural diseases were ruled out as primary causes.

• Procedural Failures: The investigation exposed severe operational breaches during the raid that led to the arrests. The operation completely sidelined the specialised Mining Marshals Unit, lacked proper planning, and ignored standard operating procedures, including the failure to use "Open Detention" protocols for mass arrests. Furthermore, investigators discovered that the detention register for 16 September was missing and that officers tampered with the crime scene by scrubbing, washing, disinfecting, and re-numbering the cells before forensic experts could arrive.

• Physical Abuse Allegations: While post-mortem results showed no evidence of blunt-force trauma or physical violence as the immediate cause of death, survivors maintained that they had been beaten during their initial arrest at the mining sites.

National Leadership Response

NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi strongly condemned the incident, describing it as an inexcusable aberration. He clarified that the national headquarters had no prior knowledge of the mass raids, noting that Mr. Suberu acted independently without proper clearance and must face the full consequences of his actions.

Mr. Audi immediately ordered a public rebuttal against the state commandant's false disease outbreak narrative, emphasizing that the corps cannot defend illegal actions and should have utilized open detention protocols to handle overflowing numbers.

Casualties and Recommendations

The panel officially authenticated 33 deaths, which tragically included 14 minors, alongside 41 survivors, nine of whom were also children. Concluding the report, the committee recommended immediate disciplinary and legal action against all officers found culpable, as well as financial compensation for the bereaved families and survivors.