Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called on the Attorneys-General of Niger and Ondo states to prosecute those responsible for the mass deaths of over 85 citizens in the two states. In a statement, Falana expressed concern over the circumstances of the deaths and urged the Attorneys-General to take immediate action. The incidents occurred in a detention facility in Niger state and due to consumption of suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo state.
According to Falana, over 50 young men were arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for alleged illegal mining in a village near Borgu in Niger state. Two days after the arrest, 37 of the suspects were found dead inside the detention facility due to overcrowding and poor ventilation. The NSCDC spokesperson confirmed the arrest and said profiling and documentation were still ongoing before charges could be filed.
Falana charged the Attorney-General of Niger State, Nasiru Mu'azu, with ensuring a speedy investigation by the State Police Command and the immediate prosecution of all indicted officers by the State Ministry of Justice. He likened the incident to the 1980 tragedy where 50 criminal suspects suffocated to death inside a police Black Maria van at the Tinubu Magistrate Court premises in Lagos.
The human rights activist expressed sadness that while rich suspects are kept behind counters or in special cells, poor citizens are held in inhumane, overcrowded cells without ventilation. Falana stated that the official outrage is indeed hypocritical because the death of suspects in dehumanising incarceration in police stations and other detention facilities is a regular phenomenon.
Falana also cited confirmation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control that 48 persons have died out of 182 reported cases in a mass illness outbreak linked to consumption of suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo state. NAFDAC had made public that five persons have been rendered totally blind while two others suffered partial blindness.
The affected communities in Ondo state include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga, with the highest casualties recorded in Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu in Odigbo Local Government Area. The outbreak has also spread to Irele Local Government Area, with figures still being verified. NAFDAC confirmed the arrest of 15 persons in connection with the production, sale, and distribution of the poisonous beverages.
Falana challenged the Attorney-General of Ondo State, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, to take over the case from NAFDAC and ensure diligent prosecution of the suspects. He urged that to honour the victims, the Federal and State Governments must ensure all detention centres in Nigeria comply with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
Key points
- Femi Falana calls for prosecution of suspects responsible for mass deaths in Niger and Ondo states.
- 37 suspects died in a detention facility in Niger state due to overcrowding and poor ventilation.
- 48 persons died in Ondo state due to consumption of suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions.
