Five Nigerian officers accused of misconduct after detained minors die
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
A Nigerian ministerial committee accuses suspended Niger State commander Suberu Aniviye and four civil defence officers of misconduct linked to the deaths of detained minors. It alleges unlawful detention, poor supervision and an attempt to alter the scene before examination, according to a report presented to the interior minister.
A Nigerian ministerial committee has accused five officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) of misconduct linked to the deaths of minors held at its premises. The committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, handed his report to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja on Tuesday, Vanguard reports.
The report accuses Niger State commander Suberu Aniviye of authorising and supervising the operation without adequate planning or oversight, tolerating overcrowding and failing to ensure lawful detention conditions. The committee also accuses him of publicly attributing the deaths to an epidemic, a statement it considers false.
Four other officers are implicated for their roles in the detention conditions and the handling of the emergency. The committee says investigation unit head Oluwadare Sunday did not intervene despite the deteriorating conditions. It accuses Usman Isah Ndamaka of maintaining the overcrowding, preventing the cell from being opened and taking part in altering the scene before an independent forensic examination.
Guard Hassan Mohammed is accused of failing to open the cell despite repeated calls for help, while Sule Garba is criticised for profiling detainees, including minors, and for insufficient documentation of evidence.
The report follows the investigation into the deaths of 37 minors held in Nigeria, published on 25 October. That investigation attributed the deaths to asphyxiation.
