- Recommends Prosecution
By Our Reporter, With Agency Reports
THE DEATHS of 33 detainees in the custody of the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were preventable, with officers allegedly ignoring repeated cries for water and assistance as detainees suffocated in an overcrowded cell, an investigative panel has found.
The panel, set up by the Federal Government to investigate the deaths, recommended the dismissal and prosecution of officers and men of the NSCDC state command whose actions or failures contributed to the tragedy.
Presenting the report to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday, Chairman of the committee and retired Deputy Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure, said the detainees repeatedly banged on cell doors and walls, shouted for assistance and pleaded for water as conditions inside the facility deteriorated.
According to him, officers assigned to nearby duties heard the distress calls but failed to take adequate action.
Kure said the investigation established that 33 men died between September 16 and 17, 2026, contrary to earlier reports that put the number at about 37.
He said fourteen of the deceased were minors.
According to Kure, the evidence did not support earlier claims of a disease outbreak, with medical findings instead pointing to acute respiratory failure consistent with environmental asphyxia.
The panel attributed the deaths to a combination of severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, extreme heat, dehydration and inadequate access to drinking water.
“The cell has a solid metal door, inadequate airflow, no running water, poor lighting and no functioning toilet,” Kure said.
He added that food and drinking water were either unavailable or grossly inadequate, while adults and minors were detained together in the overcrowded facility.
“Witnesses consistently described conditions of extreme heat, dehydration, congestion and suffocation as detainees were unable to move freely and many collapsed as conditions deteriorated,” he said.
The panel found that female detainees had been temporarily transferred to another location because of the overcrowding but were subsequently released.
Kure said the failure to respond to the detainees’ distress calls, combined with the detention conditions, amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
He said the circumstances created an environment in which fatalities were foreseeable and could have been prevented.
The committee therefore recommended the dismissal and prosecution of responsible officers for offences including murder, criminal negligence, torture and inhuman treatment, where applicable.
“The investigation identified serious failures by senior officers, including the state commandant over the operation, detention conditions, supervision and response to repeated distress calls,” Kure said.
The panel also recommended administrative sanctions against officers whose failures contributed to the deaths, as well as a comprehensive restructuring of the NSCDC leadership.
It called for reforms in recruitment, deployment, training, supervision, intelligence gathering and accountability to prevent a recurrence.
The committee further recommended investigations by anti-corruption agencies into allegations of extortion and the mismanagement of exhibits.
Crime Scene Interference
Responding to the report, the Minister of Interior said the Federal Government would not allow the investigation to become another exercise designed merely to calm public anger.
Tunji-Ojo ordered the immediate suspension of all officers and men involved in clearing the crime scene before the arrival of the investigative panel.
“Those officers that intended to destroy and disrupt evidence must be suspended while internally we will investigate and carry out other disciplinary actions,” he said.
He said the report would be forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for further action.
The minister said the findings demonstrated the need for institutional reforms and accountability, stressing that leadership was tested not when things were going well but by how those in authority responded when things went wrong.
“For us, leadership is not tested when things are right, but response when things are not going right,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo assured the families of the deceased that the Federal Government would pursue justice.“These are vulnerable people that must be protected and the best gift to give to the deceased is justice which must be done,” he said.
