A federal panel has attributed detainees’ deaths in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody in Minna, Niger State, to acute respiratory failure aggravated by extreme heat and overcrowding.
Committee chairman Jonathan Kure presented the findings to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja on Tuesday. The panel inspected the detention facility, conducted autopsies and gathered statements from officers, survivors and bereaved families.
It recommended N1.4 billion in compensation for the families of 33 people it said were confirmed dead and 44 survivors, according to Channels Television’s account of the presentation.
The committee said the cell was overcrowded and poorly ventilated, and accused officers of ignoring detainees’ requests for water and help. It recommended dismissal of the state commandant and other officers directly involved, alongside institutional reforms.
The published accounts differ on the death toll: Channels reported that the panel verified 33 bodies, while ARISE News put the number of deaths covered by its findings at 37.
The report follows the committee’s earlier request for more time to obtain forensic results. The corps had initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak.
Tunji-Ojo promised to implement the recommendations, Channels reported. He also ordered the suspension of officers whom the committee accused of cleaning the detention centre to destroy evidence.
Sources: Channels Television; ARISE News
Something we should clarify?
Contact the newsroom
