Rights Group Demands Independent Probe Of Suspected Illegal-miners’ Deaths

A human rights organisation, Hope Behind Bars Africa, has filed a petition before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), calling for investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger state.
The organisation in a statement signed by its communication associate, Ogechi Ogwuma, described the incident as a grave failure of the state’s duty to protect lives, demanding an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths.
It argued that the suspects had not been tried and convicted, hence they were entitled to the presumption of innocence and...