Nigeria calls for prosecution over deaths of 37 detained minors
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Leadership
Nigeria’s National Civil Society Council is calling for the dismissal and prosecution of officers responsible for the deaths of 37 minors held in Minna, Niger State. It is also seeking a special fund and increased allocations to improve detention centres, following a government inquiry, reports Leadership.
The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) on Wednesday called for the dismissal and prosecution of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers found responsible for the deaths of 37 minors held in Minna, Niger State. It also called on President Bola Tinubu to establish a special fund and increase allocations to security agencies to renovate detention facilities, according to its executive director, Blessing Akinlosotu.
The NCSCN praised the work of the 10-member independent commission chaired by Jonathan Kure, a former deputy director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the suspension of 21 NSCDC officers. Blessing Akinlosotu nevertheless called for harsher sanctions against those in charge of the NSCDC command in Niger State, describing the facility as overcrowded, poorly ventilated and unfit for habitation. He also called for suspects to be brought before a court promptly to prevent prolonged detention and protect their constitutional rights.
The council said the case exposed a structural shortfall in the resources provided to security agencies, which are responsible, among other things, for combating illegal mining, protecting national infrastructure and managing emergency response. The statement came after the commission published financial and disciplinary recommendations on 27 October, followed on 28 October by the announcement of the deaths of 37 minors who suffocated in a detention centre.
