A probe panel investigating the death of 33 suspected illegal miners detained in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC) in Niger State has said the victims died from dehydration, dismissing claims of torture or extra-judicial killing while in custody.
The panel said the detainees died from dehydration and suffered acute respiratory failure after being held in an overcrowded, poorly ventilated room where personnel ignored their calls for water.
The panel’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, presented the findings to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja on Tuesday.
Kure said the findings put the confirmed death toll at 33, correcting earlier reports that 37 miners had died in custody.
According to Kure, the miners called for water before collapsing, but civil defence personnel ignored their requests.
The panel also found that there were no approvals for their arrests and detention and that all had been held beyond the legally permitted period.
The report identified failures both in the conditions of confinement and in the procedures used to hold the miners.
Alongside the overcrowding and poor ventilation, the findings raised questions about the authorization and duration of their detention.
The committee called for comprehensive reform of the NSCDC and compensation for the victims.
