Avocats Sans Frontières France, ASF France has called for an independent investigation into the deaths of 37 persons held in government custody at a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC facility in Minna, Niger State.
The organisation said the deaths, amid reports of severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation and delayed access to assistance, raised serious questions about the conditions under which the detainees were held and the authorities’ response to the situation.
ASF France said many of those who died were reportedly between 14 and 18 years old, while survivors described a desperate struggle to breathe in an overcrowded cell and repeated calls for assistance as detainees began collapsing.
Although the NSCDC has attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, ASF France said the precise circumstances and causes of death remained to be established.
The Federal Government has announced an investigation and suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant pending its outcome.
ASF France said the State bears heightened responsibility for protecting persons deprived of their liberty, stressing that once individuals are placed in government custody, authorities are responsible for safeguarding their lives, health and physical integrity.
It said the investigation should therefore go beyond determining the immediate medical causes of death to establish whether authorities took reasonable measures to prevent foreseeable harm and respond effectively to distress.
ASF France welcomed the decision to investigate but called for a prompt, independent, impartial and effective process capable of examining individual acts or omissions as well as possible institutional and systemic failures.
According to the organisation, the investigation should cover detention conditions, overcrowding, ventilation, access to water and medical care, monitoring, emergency response and the conduct of officials within the chain of command.
It also cited Rule 71 of the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules, which requires every custodial death to be reported to an authority independent of the prison administration and subjected to a prompt, impartial and effective investigation, with relevant evidence preserved.
ASF France further referenced the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death, which it said requires an independent and thorough investigation capable of determining whether failures by State authorities, including failures to take reasonable preventive measures, contributed to the deaths.
“When people die in State custody, the State has a heightened responsibility to establish what happened and why. The investigation must go beyond identifying the immediate medical cause of death and examine whether failures by individuals, institutions or the wider system contributed to the loss of life. Where people are under government control, preventable deaths demand accountability,” the organisation said.
ASF France called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure that the investigation is independent and free from the influence of anyone who may be implicated.
It also urged the authorities to examine individual, institutional and chain-of-command responsibility, preserve relevant evidence including custody and medical records, CCTV footage and communications, and conduct appropriate independent forensic examinations and autopsies.
The organisation further called for protection of surviving detainees and witnesses from intimidation or retaliation, regular information for the families of the deceased and appropriate access to the investigation.
It said accountability, effective remedies and measures to prevent a recurrence should follow where violations are established.
ASF France stressed that every person deprived of liberty is entitled to humane treatment and protection of their life and dignity, adding that it would continue to monitor the case and urged the Nigerian authorities to ensure transparency, accountability and justice for the deceased, their families and surviving detainees.