By Toyin Victor, ABUJA
The Federal Government has handed a 10-member independent panel the responsibility of uncovering what happened to 37 suspected illegal miners who reportedly died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Niger State.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the committee a free hand to investigate the incident, insisting that its members must operate independently and allow the facts to guide their findings.
Tunji-Ojo said the government owes Nigerians and the families of the deceased the truth, charging the panel to establish the circumstances surrounding the arrests, detention and reported deaths of the 37 persons.
The committee, chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Jonathan Kure, has Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, as Secretary.
Among the members is lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, whose inclusion brings a human rights perspective to the investigation. Adeyanju joins the panel alongside retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma, Professor Olayinka Buhari, Alhaji Liman Sulaiman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Blueprint newspaper representative Mrs. Zainab Suleiman Okino and public affairs analyst Dr. George Agbakahi.
Representatives of the Niger State Government and the Minna Emirate Council are also members of the committee, reflecting the Federal Government’s stated intention to involve stakeholders connected to the affected community.
The panel is expected to identify the deceased, determine the immediate and remote causes of their deaths, and establish the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention.
It will also investigate allegations of torture, denial of medical care, negligence and professional misconduct, while examining detention records, medical and autopsy reports, photographs and other relevant evidence.
Tunji-Ojo warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would attract the full force of the law. He also directed the NSCDC leadership and relevant officers to cooperate fully with the committee.
Speaking after his inauguration, Chairman Jonathan Kure described the assignment as a call to national service, assuring Nigerians and the families of the deceased that the panel would work with open minds and without being swayed by media pressure or sentiment. He said the committee would base its report on facts established during the investigation.