The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) has called for the dismissal and prosecution of culpable officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in a detention facility in Minna, Niger State.

The council also urged the Federal Government to declare a national emergency on detention facilities and correctional centres, citing deplorable conditions, overcrowding and inadequate ventilation in custodial facilities across the country.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the council’s Executive Director, Amb. Blessing Akinlosotu, said the government’s investigative panel report established that the facility where the miners died was unhealthy, inhumane, severely overcrowded and unfit for human habitation.

He condemned the conduct of the officers involved, while welcoming the suspension of 21 personnel in connection with the incident.

Akinlosotu, however, attributed the tragedy not only to alleged recklessness and negligence but also to systemic underfunding of security agencies, which he said were expected to perform extensive duties without adequate infrastructure and resources.

“The tragedy in Minna is not just about recklessness and negligence; rather, more about systemic underfunding,” he said.

The council argued that the NSCDC and other security agencies had responsibilities ranging from protecting lives and property, safeguarding solid minerals and preventing illegal mining to securing critical national assets, supporting the Safe School Initiative and managing disasters.

It said the government could not expect modern security operations from agencies operating inadequate detention facilities.

“You cannot demand 21st-century security delivery with 19th-century funding,” Akinlosotu said.

He urged the Federal Government to increase budgetary allocations for security agencies and provide a special intervention fund to construct standard, humane and well-ventilated detention facilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The proposed funding, he said, should also cover operational vehicles, modern surveillance and communication equipment, as well as continuous training of personnel in custodial management and human rights compliance.

The council further called for an end to prolonged and unjustified detention, urging law enforcement agencies to arraign suspects promptly before competent courts.

It said speedy arraignment would help prevent unlawful detention and protect citizens’ constitutional rights to fair hearing and human dignity.

However, the council defended the NSCDC’s Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, insisting that the investigative panel did not indict him over the incident.

According to Akinlosotu, the report established that the operations in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto were conducted without operational orders, the knowledge of or approval from the corps’ national headquarters.

He warned against politicising the incident or using the state-level operational failure to discredit the corps’ national leadership or the Federal Government.

“The Commander-General cannot be everywhere at the same time,” he said, arguing that responsibility should be assigned to officers found culpable rather than extended automatically to the organisation’s leadership.

The council praised Audi’s leadership, describing his reforms as having strengthened the corps’ professionalism, discipline and human rights compliance.

The council urged President Bola Tinubu to implement the panel’s recommendations judiciously and prioritise improvements to detention facilities nationwide, warning that inadequate custodial conditions threatened human dignity and public confidence in law enforcement.