The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested three additional personnel in connection with the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the Corps’ custody in Niger State.
The latest arrests have increased to 24 the number of NSCDC personnel being held as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The NSCDC spokesperson, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, disclosed that the additional arrests followed a joint operation involving the Commandant-General’s Special Investigation Squad.
According to him, the affected personnel are all serving with the Niger State Command and have been transferred to Abuja, where they are expected to undergo further interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation.
The development comes amid growing scrutiny of the conditions under which the suspected illegal miners were detained and the events that preceded their deaths.
The NSCDC had earlier come under pressure following reports that 37 suspects died while in its custody. Questions have been raised over the circumstances surrounding the deaths, with survivors and rights groups calling for greater transparency in determining what happened at the facility.
In response to the incident, the Corps also ordered that its flag be flown at half-mast for three days as a mark of respect for those who died.
Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, said personnel found culpable after the investigations would face disciplinary action and prosecution in accordance with the law.
Audi stressed that the Corps would not shield any officer found to have contributed to the deaths or to have breached established procedures.
The latest arrests are taking place alongside a separate 10-member presidential independent investigation committee established to examine the incident. The committee is expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine whether there were individual or institutional failures.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana and several civil society organisations have also called for those found responsible to be prosecuted transparently.
The demands for accountability have focused attention on the treatment of people held in security agency custody and the obligations of authorities responsible for their welfare.
The investigation is expected to examine the conduct of personnel involved, the conditions in which the suspects were held and the response of officers when the detainees began experiencing distress.
Meanwhile, the transfer of the detained NSCDC personnel to Abuja is expected to facilitate further questioning and investigation by the relevant authorities.
The Corps has maintained that the investigation will determine the individual responsibility of its personnel, while the presidential committee is expected to provide an independent assessment of the wider circumstances surrounding the deaths.
As the investigations continue, attention remains on the findings of both inquiries and any disciplinary or legal measures that may follow.
