Police experts, including toxicologists, are examining the cause of death of 37 suspects in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, Inspector General (IGP) Olatunji Disu has said.

He revealed this during an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) in Owerri, Imo State.

Disu, responding to claims that fumigants were sprayed in the cell where suspects arrested over alleged illegal mining were held, appealed to Nigerians to avoid speculation and await the outcome of the police investigation.

The disclosure preceded the announcement by the presidency of the constitution of an independent 10-man committee to investigate and unravel the immediate and remote causes of the suspects’ shocking deaths.

Headed by retired Deputy Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure, the investigative panel was inaugurated in Abuja by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, with a two-week deadline to submit its report.

Ojo said the Federal Government was determined to ensure that justice was served in honour of the deceased suspected illegal miners.

Giving an update on the police probe, the IGP said detectives from the Niger State Police Command secured and preserved the scene, adding that it would be premature to conclude that insecticides were sprayed in the cell.

He said Investigators were working to ascertain the cause and intent of the deaths.

“We don’t want to pre-empt the investigations. The investigation is on. The police experts are there. The police toxicologists are already on the ground doing what they know how to do best,” he said.

He disclosed that the Niger State Commissioner of Police secured the scene as soon as the incident occurred, and the Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had since deployed a toxicologist, forensic officers, and the officer in charge of the department to support the inquiry. He said the state government and a minister had also set up a committee working alongside the police, with other relevant authorities cooperating.

Disu said members of the affected community staged a violent demonstration some days ago, but that the police appealed to them and calmed the situation. He assured that “nothing will be covered” and that the facts of the case would be made public, with investigators expected to release their findings within days. (The Nation)