Legislature
Minna Custodial Tragedy: Northern Senators Demand Independent Probe Into 37 Deaths
The Northern Senators Forum has joined Nigerians in mourning the reported deaths of 37 young Nigerians in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
This was contained in a statement by
Sen. Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua
Chairman, Northern Senators Forum
According to the statement, circumstances surrounding the deaths, including reports that the victims were confined in a small room where they cried for help before allegedly choking to death, are deeply disturbing.
History has shown the horrors that can arise when helpless people are confined, deprived of dignity and treated as though their lives have little or no value.
During the Holocaust, Auschwitz and other Nazi killing centres were sites where countless men, women and children were imprisoned under brutal conditions, with many deliberately suffocated in gas chambers. Auschwitz operated from 1940 to 1945 during World War II and became the most notorious killing centre of the Holocaust.
The Northern Senators Forum stressed that the Minna tragedy is not being equated with the Holocaust, but said it should prompt the fundamental question history requires humanity to continue asking: what happens when those entrusted with people’s lives cease to regard them as human beings deserving of protection?
The Forum therefore demanded an immediate, transparent and independent investigation into the entire chain of events.
It said Nigerians must know who ordered the arrests, where the detainees were taken, who authorised their detention at the facility, whether the room was fit for human habitation, when distress calls were made, who heard them, what action was taken, and the precise circumstances surrounding the death of each victim.
The investigation, it added, should involve the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association, credible civil society organisations and independent forensic experts.
The Northern Senators Forum also called for independent autopsies to be conducted on all 37 victims, with representatives of the families and independent pathologists allowed to participate.
According to the Forum, the families deserve the truth rather than conjecture.
It further stated that if criminal negligence, unlawful detention, reckless conduct or any deliberate act contributed to the deaths, those responsible must be prosecuted regardless of their rank or position.
The Forum said the tragedy should also lead to a nationwide review of detention facilities operated by security agencies to ensure that no Nigerian is again placed in circumstances where a cry for help goes unanswered.
The Northern Senators Forum extended its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and the people of Niger State.
It prayed that Almighty Allah (SWT) forgive the shortcomings of the departed, grant them Al-Jannatul Firdaus, and give their families the fortitude to bear the immeasurable loss.
“The dead cannot speak for themselves; it is now the responsibility of the living to demand the truth, protect their dignity, and ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated.”