“I Am There To Represent Victims Brutally Murdered” — Deji Adeyanju Defends Accepting FG Panel Job On 37 Miner’s Death

Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has said the death of 37 persons in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps [NSCDC] in Niger State amounts to a crime against humanity, vowing to expose any attempt to suppress the truth.

Adeyanju, who is a member of the Federal Government-constituted Fact-Finding Committee probing the tragedy, spoke on Channels TV’s Morning Brief on Monday.

He dismissed suggestions that his membership of the panel was a Federal Government appointment, saying his role was to represent the victims.

“Because I feel that I’m there on that committee to serve the interest of those who have been murdered. You know, brutally and gruesomely murdered. So, I am there to represent the victims, and I will make sure that there is no cover-up or that nobody tries to suppress any wrongdoing. And if they try to do so, I will expose them,” Adeyanju said.

When asked why he accepted to serve despite being a critic of the government, he said:

“And it can’t, it can’t be an appointment in my view because of the death of little children… If you see the picture, if you watch the videos, how can that be an appointment? To go and unravel how people were killed in a room. What kind of, how can anybody even consider that to be an appointment?”

No Illegal Miners, Find The Mine Owner

Adeyanju said the victims should not be labelled illegal miners until fact-finding is concluded.

“In my view, I believe that, especially with the new regime, there are no illegal miners in Nigeria because the Ministry of Mines has mapped out almost all mining sites in the country and given certificates to owners.

“So, what we should be looking at is who is the owner of the mine? Because in all this conversation, the owner of the mine has been exempted. So, we need to find out who the owner of the mine is,” he said.

Culpable Homicide, Crime Against Humanity

The activist said officials found culpable, whether by negligence or intentional act, should face charges of culpable homicide punishable with death under the Penal Code, or culpable homicide not punishable with death.

He disagreed with suggestions that exposure to substances at the mining site caused the deaths, arguing that mass death of 37 persons at once points to something sinister.

“There is nothing conclusive about anything yet, and will it not be strange that it would be such a high number that would die at once? If it was one or two persons that died, then one can explain that. But when it is mass murder, like in the instant case, then it goes to the root that there was maybe an alleged attempt to cover up something sinister.”

He said the allegation by a survivor that something was sprayed inside the cell would be investigated.

“In my view, simpliciter, I think this is a crime against humanity because when these volumes and numbers of citizens are killed all at once, then it is a crime against humanity as defined by the Geneva Convention and International Human Rights Law. Many people across the world have been convicted for killing far less, even by the International Criminal Court. 37 is such a great number.”

Adeyanju added that five more people were killed when security operatives opened fire on protesters demonstrating against the 37 deaths.

“The officers who opened fire on those who went to protest that led to the death of additional five more people will also be brought to book,” he said.

Deplorable Cells, Question Of Detention Powers

Adeyanju described police and NSCDC cells as tiny, dark, poorly ventilated, with toilets inside and windows very small, usually located at the extreme end of buildings.

“In the basic police cells, they are very small. And I’ve been a guest in so many of them. In my view, it shouldn’t take a maximum of more than five to six people because… you find people sleeping on the back or crouching on the back of one another… The windows are very small and very tiny, the place is pitch dark.”

He said the committee will inspect the size of the cell in Minna, ventilation, access logs and how long the victims were held.

He questioned whether the NSCDC has the training and internal mechanisms to detain people and whether the victims were held beyond the 48-hour constitutional limit without court order.

“The constitution is very clear that it’s 48 hours. So, for how long were these people held? Were the people detained with a court order, or were they just detained arbitrarily?”

He said the panel will also audit all NSCDC detention facilities nationwide, determine how many people are being detained, and whether similar deaths have occurred in the past without being reported.

“Have there been instances like this in the past where people were killed in the custody of the Civil Defence and that it was not brought to light? Is it because this has now become an embarrassing issue for the country that the citizens are getting to find out?”