By Anan Geolengs
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered immediate suspension of Niger Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Aniviye.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde.
Babatunde said suspension follows alleged deaths of suspected illegal miners in M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna, the state capital.
He said incident reportedly occurred in early hours of Thursday, following arrest of suspected illegal miners during enforcement operations conducted in parts of Niger on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.
“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended.
“We run a government whose ultimate priority is security of lives and we have worked to stay true to this,” the minister was quoted as saying.
Tunji-Ojo urged members of public to maintain calm and remain law-abiding to allow for transparent investigation.
He commiserated with Gov. Mohammed Bago of Niger and families and relatives of deceased.
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