By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA, mnipr

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), also known as the Pyrates Confraternity, has demanded accountability over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, warning the Federal Government against allowing the tragedy to become another unresolved case of alleged abuse of power by security agencies.

In a statement signed by its Cap’n, Dr Charles Meribole, on Monday, NAS said the deaths exposed what it described as “recurring impunity” in the treatment of vulnerable Nigerians by law-enforcement agencies.

The association said the circumstances and precise cause of the deaths must be established by an independent investigation, noting that the suspects were taken into government custody alive and later died in detention.

“The incontrovertible fact remains that 37 teenagers were taken alive into the custody of the NSCDC, and they did not come out alive,” NAS said.

The incident has generated public concern following conflicting accounts of how the detainees died.

According to NAS, survivor David Shehu alleged that the detainees were crammed into a poorly ventilated cell and repeatedly pleaded for help, including by banging on the door, but were ignored.

The association also cited Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago, who said foam in the mouths of some deceased detainees, blood in their nostrils and peeling skin raised concerns that they may have been exposed to chemicals or poisonous substances.

NAS said those claims must be tested by investigators, making an independent and transparent inquiry imperative.

It condemned any attempt to treat the matter simply as an administrative failure, insisting that anyone whose actions or omissions contributed to the deaths must be held accountable.

The association commended the Federal Government for suspending the NSCDC Commandant in Niger State, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and 20 other officers pending investigation, as well as President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a full and transparent probe.

However, NAS warned that suspension should not be confused with justice.

“The Federal Government’s suspension of its employees is an administrative action, not justice. So justice must be served for the deceased,” it declared.

The group urged the 10-member investigative panel to establish how the suspects were arrested, the conditions under which they were detained, what medical attention they received, what happened before their deaths and whether official misconduct or negligence occurred.

It demanded that the findings be made public and that anyone found culpable face appropriate sanctions.

‘Investigation must not gather dust’

NAS expressed concern that successive governments had constituted panels after major tragedies, only for their reports and recommendations to disappear from public view.

“The investigation of the Minna tragedy must not become another bureaucratic exercise whose findings gather dust. That cycle must end. The culture of recurring impunity must stop,” NAS said.

It urged the Federal Government to ensure that the inquiry produces concrete action rather than another forgotten report.

Detention facilities need urgent audit

Beyond the inquiry, NAS called for a nationwide audit of detention facilities operated by the NSCDC and other security and law-enforcement agencies.

It said overcrowding, ventilation, sanitation, medical screening, emergency response, detainee monitoring, separation of minors from adults and access to basic necessities should be treated as matters of life and death.

“Overcrowding, medical screening, emergency response, detainee monitoring, separation of minors from adults, sanitation, ventilation, and access to necessities cannot be treated as administrative details. They are matters of life and death,” the group said.

It also stressed that detainees must receive appropriate medical attention and be brought before the courts within the period prescribed by law.

The association invoked constitutional protections for personal liberty and against cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arguing that the power to arrest and prosecute suspected offenders does not give security agencies unlimited authority.

“An allegation of illegal mining is not a conviction,” NAS said.

“The authority of the state to arrest, investigate and prosecute does not give it the power to disregard the sanctity of the lives of those in its custody.”

NAS seeks probe of mining-site owners

The association also called for a broader investigation into the illegal mining operations where the teenagers were arrested.

It said authorities should identify those who owned, controlled or profited from the sites and determine how minors, reportedly aged between 14 and 18, came to be working there.

NAS urged the prosecution of anyone found to have violated child-protection laws or engaged minors in unlawful mining activities.

It maintained that accountability should extend beyond security officials if operators exploited or endangered children.

‘Justice must neither be delayed nor denied’

NAS expressed condolences to the families, relatives and communities of the deceased teenagers, saying they deserved truth and appropriate redress.

It said the deaths should serve as a turning point in the relationship between Nigerians and law-enforcement agencies, particularly in the treatment of suspects and detainees.

“The death of suspects in the custody of a law-enforcement agency places an enormous responsibility on the Federal Government to unravel the truth and assure Nigerians that it will never happen again,” the association said.

“Justice for the deceased teenagers must neither be delayed nor denied. Nigerians are watching.”