Niger State Governor Umaru Bago has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Minna, the state capital, following unrest linked to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The curfew takes effect immediately after Friday’s Jumu’ah prayers. In a statement……
Niger State Governor Umaru Bago has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Minna, the state capital, following unrest linked to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The curfew takes effect immediately after Friday’s Jumu’ah prayers.
In a statement announcing the directive, residents were urged to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary movements, while security agencies were directed to enforce the curfew and protect lives and property across the metropolis.
The development followed protests and unrest in parts of Minna on Thursday after the deaths of the suspected illegal miners detained by the NSCDC.
Bago said the state government had constituted a committee of inquiry to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths, while the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and his team had been suspended to facilitate the investigation.
“The most important is that people died in the custody of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps. They were detained in their cells, and this morning we woke up to the news that 37 of them had died,” the governor said.
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He said the cause of the deaths had not been established, warning against drawing conclusions before the completion of forensic and medical investigations.
Bago said investigators were examining possible causes including overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances used in illegal mining.
“It could be as a result of suffocation because there were so many in a cell. The second issue could be because of exposure to maybe lead poisoning or other very hazardous chemicals that are used to do the illegal mining,” he said.
According to the governor, forensic and medical examinations, including autopsies, were being conducted to determine the scientific cause of the deaths.
He added that separate investigations had also been launched by the NSCDC, the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), alongside the committee established by the state government.
Bago said reports concerning the condition of some of the bodies, including allegations that some victims had peeling skin and were foaming at the mouth with blood, were also being examined by investigators.
He, however, urged the public to await the outcome of the investigations before reaching conclusions about the cause of the deaths.
The governor also announced the closure of the illegal mining site in the M.I. Wushishi area, saying mining activities there were being carried out without appropriate technology and safety equipment.
He appealed for calm, particularly following the movement of the bodies to the mortuary, which he said triggered emotional reactions and violence among some youths.
Meanwhile, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has ordered a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The minister directed the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, to conduct a “full-scale, transparent and unhindered investigation” into the incident.
Following the directive, Audi ordered the Niger State Commandant to step aside immediately and report to the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja to appear before the panel investigating the deaths.
The state commandant was also directed to report alongside the Heads of Operations, Mining, Legal, Intelligence and Investigation, who were asked to appear before the panel.
