…Urges restraint by security agencies in handling protest
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has demanded for an expeditious, open, transparent and unrestricted probe into the death of 37 Nigerians in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
This was as it expressed serious concerns over the death of 37 Nigerians in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State and also the use of ammunition on protesters.
It described the incident as horrible noting that the circumstances surrounding the death of the suspects in the APC-controlled agency.
The Party also condemns the reported use of ammunitions and tear gas by security agencies against unarmed citizens protesting the death of the 37 persons, noting that such could lead to more fatalities.
It particularly noted that the deaths were avoidable if the victims were not detained in very inhuman conditions in a government facility, stressing that it was yet another sad episode which further spotlights the level of inconsequentiality the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration attaches to human lives.
APM insisted that claims by the authorities that the victims were alleged illegal miners and that they died as a result of suspected outbreak of disease in the cell did not justify the mortalities.
A statement by Yusuf Abubakar, National Publicity Secretary of the APM, stated that that the unfortunate development only validated reports of inhuman conditions under which the victims were detained for over two days.
APM further said; “It is unimaginable that 66 persons were cramped into a cell where 37 of them died of excessive heat and after being reportedly sprayed with a yet to be identified substance.
“Indeed, this is not the Nigeria we dream of. While thousands of our citizens who fell victims of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and armed robbers suffer brutality in the hands of their captors, it is unthinkable that Nigerians could be subjected to such acts of dehumanization by an agency of the APC-led Federal Government.
“This is why our nation needs a reset. The lives of citizens must be treated with dignity as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The death of citizens in detention facilities cannot be justified under any guise.
While sympathizing with the families of the victims and the people of Niger state, the APM urges Nigerians to remain calm as we await the outcome of the probe.
