Suberu Aniviye, the suspended Niger State commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has apologised to the families of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the agency’s custody.
According to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Aniviye tendered the apology while testifying before a panel investigating the deaths in Minna, the state capital.
During the panel’s second sitting, chaired by Justice Mohammed Mohammed, Aniviye appealed to the bereaved families for forgiveness, describing the incident as a costly mistake that could have been prevented.
Explaining the circumstances that led to the arrests, the suspended commandant said the operation followed complaints from residents of the M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate about mining activities in their communities.
He told the panel that he visited the area on September 15 before deploying mining marshals to the location. The suspected illegal miners were arrested the following evening.
Aniviye said he learnt about the deaths through a telephone call on September 17. He subsequently returned to the command’s headquarters, where he found the bodies lying on the floor of the detention cell.
He said he informed Niger State Governor Umaru Bago about the incident, after which the governor directed that the bodies be transferred to a mortuary.
The suspended commandant added that he also contacted the state commissioner of police and the director of the Department of State Services (DSS) to report the deaths.
According to Aniviye, the suspects were scheduled to be arraigned in court on September 17 before the incident occurred.
Other witnesses who appeared before the panel included Stephen Tsado, the NSCDC’s legal officer in Niger State, and Maryam Etang, a nurse attached to the command’s medical unit.
Following the hearing, Justice Mohammed led other panel members to the mortuary at Minna General Hospital, where the victims’ bodies were kept.
The panel chairman disclosed that three of the bodies remained unclaimed as of Thursday.
The 37 suspected illegal miners were arrested in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto villages in Niger State during operations conducted on September 15 and 16. They subsequently died while in NSCDC custody.
Following the incident, the Federal Government suspended Aniviye and ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. It also constituted a 10-member independent committee to examine the case.
On October 5, Vice-President Kashim Shettima travelled to Minna, where he announced a N250 million Federal Government grant for the families of the deceased.
Goodness Anunobi
Follow us on:
