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Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has ordered toxicology and forensic investigations into the deaths of 37 suspects in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
Disu disclosed this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers in Owerri, Imo State.
He said police toxicologists and forensic officers had been deployed to determine the cause of the deaths amid allegations that fumigants or insecticides were sprayed in the cell where the suspects were detained.
The IGP urged Nigerians to avoid speculation, stressing that investigators had not established that chemicals were responsible for 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.
Disu said the Niger State Commissioner of Police immediately secured and preserved the scene after the incident, while the Force Criminal Investigation Department deployed toxicologists, forensic personnel and other investigators to assist with the probe.
He said the investigation was aimed at determining both the cause of the deaths and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The IGP added that the state government and a minister had also constituted separate committees, with relevant authorities collaborating with the police investigation.
His disclosure came as the Federal Government commenced an independent investigation into the deaths.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had inaugurated a 10-member investigative committee headed by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the deaths.
The committee has been given two weeks to submit its report, with the minister assuring that the government would ensure justice for the deceased.
Disu also disclosed that residents of the affected community staged a violent protest following the incident, but said the police intervened and restored calm.
He assured that the investigation would be transparent, adding that “nothing will be covered” and that the findings would be made public when the inquiry is concluded.
