Protesters killed, curfew declared, commandant suspended, survivor account — Here is what to know
On Friday, pictures of the dead bodies of 37 teenagers were laid out outside a general hospital in Minna, Niger State. The deceased were alive 24 hours earlier. The deceased were among those arrested by Nigeria’s paramilitary security agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC, in a raid on an illegal mining site.
In a statement on Thursday by NSCDC Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, the suspected illegal miners were arrested during an operation on September 15 and 16 at M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto village by the command.
The death of the teenagers in custody has elicited chaos and unrest in the state capital, with at least one person shot by the police during a protest on Friday. The agency cited a suspected disease outbreak for the death of the deceased. However, the agency’s official story and reason for the tragic incident did not match any empirical proof of what actually happened, nor did it make any medical sense.
Dissecting the claim of NSCDC.
The paramilitary agency has not presented any incontrovertible evidence to substantiate its claim that the apprehended suspected illegal miners were killed by a disease outbreak and has conveniently not mentioned the name of this very disease. Given the fact that there was no reported case of any epidemic in the area where the incident occurred, it is medically unfathomable that there was a disease outbreak within hours of the miners being incarcerated and that this disease killed over 30 people in one fell swoop. And if truly there is a disease outbreak, how come no one else was killed aside from the 37 detainees?
Medically, it is inconceivable that a disease, no matter how deadly or virulent, will kill 37 people at once, especially when the deceased were not known to have been previously exposed to the said disease or battling any other underlying illness. While the purported disease was breaking out, there would be symptoms. Coughing, vomiting, Wheezing, dizziness and loss of consciousness. What was the NSCDC doing then?
What is true is that NSCDC officials locked the arrested miners and suspected criminals in a cell that could barely hold half the people that were held there, with little or no ventilation. The detainee, it was gathered, started banging at the door of the overcrowded and cramped cell to draw the attention of the officers to the chaos and impending calamity in the cell as the inmate began to choke and suffocate amid the sweltering heat and dangerous lack of oxygen, but no one answered.
It is also worth mentioning that the deceased are teenagers and not adults.
One of the survivors stated that some persons, presumably NSCDC officials, sprayed deadly substances in the cell ‘after putting us inside, and people started falling’
FG takes action
Following the death of the 37 miners, the federal government orders the immediate suspension of Commandant Aniviye and orders a full investigation into the tragedy.
The order was contained in a statement on Friday by the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Siyaka Aniviye.
“It is an unfortunate incident; however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended. We run a government whose ultimate priority is the security of lives, and we have worked to stay true to this,” the Minister declared.
Security operatives open fire.
There was a demonstration on the streets of Minna on Friday as residents and families of the deceased took to the streets to protest the death of miners. However, what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration became a full-blown melee after security agencies opened fire on protesters, killing at least two people.
Governor imposes curfew
Niger State governor, Umaru Bago, has declared a 24-hour curfew across Minna, effective immediately following Jumu’ah prayers. The lockdown comes after the protests that erupted over the tragic deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in NSCDC custody. Residents are directed to remain indoors as security forces move to restore order.
