33 Detainees Died in Overcrowded NSCDC Cell, Investigative Panel Finds
A Federal Government investigative committee has identified 33 detainees who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, including an 11-year-old boy and two children aged 12. The names and details were documented in a deceased master register compiled by the committee, chaired by former Department of State Services Deputy Director-General Jonathan Kure, as part of its investigation into the deaths at an NSCDC facility in Minna. According to Section 6.1 of the report, the identities were established through arrest and detention records, alongside testimonies. The register states that the deaths occurred between September 16 and 17, 2026, and lists the Niger State Command as the detention location for all 33 individuals. The youngest victim was identified as Uzaifa Aliyu, 11, while Abdulsalam Samaila, also known as Ismail, and Mohammad Sani Nasir were both 12. The committee’s overall findings attributed the deaths to acute hypoxic respiratory failure, also described as environmental asphyxia, aggravated by heat stress, dehydration and overcrowding in the cell.
However, the register distinguishes between the committee’s overall findings and the individual records of the deceased. Environmental asphyxia was recorded as a provisional cause of death in only three cases: Emmanuel Emeka, 25; Kabiru Suleiman, whose age was listed as between 14 and 16; and Idris Haruna, 30. Their records indicate that post-mortem examinations were conducted on September 21, and all three were still listed as being in the morgue. For the remaining 30 detainees, the individual causes of death were recorded as undetermined because post-mortem examinations were not conducted. The register lists those 30 individuals as buried. The findings raise serious questions about detention conditions, medical examination procedures and accountability for deaths in custody. The committee’s report provides the names, ages, arrest dates and identification details of the deceased, as well as available post-mortem information and recorded causes of death.
#UTVAfrica#
