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​From Dan Amasingha, Minna

​An Assistant Superintendent of Corps (ASC), Usman Isah Ndamaka, was moved to tears yesterday as he appeared before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry in Minna.

He offered an unreserved apology over the death of 37 miners while in the custody of the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

​Ndamaka, who was the officer in charge of the command’s detention facility when the incident occurred on September 17, admitted full responsibility for the tragedy, describing it as a grave mistake.

​The judicial panel was set up by the Niger State Government to probe the circumstances surrounding the fatalities, which reportedly occurred following the arrest of 58 suspected illegal miners comprising 33 males and 25 females.

​Recounting the events that led to the deaths, Ndamaka explained that the facility was originally designed to accommodate between 28 and 30 detainees.

​He stated that while female suspects were separated and relocated to another facility, accommodating the remaining male detainees presented a severe logistical challenge.

​According to him, the suspects arrived late in the evening during a heavy downpour, making an immediate transfer difficult. An attempt to relocate some of the detainees to the old command facility failed after the Mining Marshal rejected the arrangement.

​Ndamaka told the commission that heat, severe overcrowding, and distress caused the male suspects to scream and shout inside the cell.

 However, he admitted that fear of being overpowered prevented him and his subordinates from unlocking the door

​”An error has already been committed. I am very sorry for the death of the miners under my custody,” Ndamaka said in an emotional testimony. “It is unfortunate that this happened under my watch. I am pained, and I admit my mistake.”

Also testifying, the head of the NSCDC investigation unit, Chief Superintendent of Corps Sunday Oluwadere, confirmed that he profiled and investigated the suspects following their arrest and recovered several exhibits.

Under cross-examination by the Niger State Head of the Legal Aid Council, Mrs. Bolanle Jibogun, Oluwadere expressed regret over operational shortcomings during the handling of the suspects.

​Earlier, the Chief Consultant Pathologist at the General Hospital, Minna, Dr. Alfa Sule, informed the panel that post-mortem examinations were required to determine the precise cause of death.

​Dr. Sule stated that conducting the autopsies requires coroner approval, while obtaining toxicology and histology samples for forensic laboratory analysis in Lagos requires the consent of the deceased persons’ families.

 He projected that full forensic results would be ready within two weeks once samples are dispatched.

​Following the incident, the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, ordered the arrest of 22 officers, including the suspended Niger State Commandant, Siaka Zubeiru Anirive. 

The officers were escorted to the corps’ national headquarters in Abuja for administrative procedures.

​Eight personnel have so far testified before the judicial panel as proceedings continue.

The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested 11 suspects over alleged cultism, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms in various locations within the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade disclosed this to newsmen while parading the suspects at the Command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Monday.

Ayanlade said the exhibits recovered from the suspects were five guns—including a revolver pistol, a Beretta pistol, a pump-action gun, and a locally made cut-to-size pistol—along with four cutlasses.

He said that the arrest formed part of the ongoing investigations and operation of the Command in ridding Oyo State of crime and criminal activities, especially violent crime.

He disclosed that one of the arrested suspects was a very bright physics student of an institution in the state, who had won several awards, but turned out to be the leader of a cult group, Eiye confraternity.

The PPRO said that the student was arrested together with his colleagues in possession of a firearm, a cutlass, and ammunition.

He added that other arrested suspects were a syndicate who specialised in robbing unsuspecting Nigerians of their possessions, especially phones, in different locations within Ibadan and its environs.

He said the leader of the suspected armed robbers had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and currently in a correctional facility.

Ayanlade said that the suspected armed robbers were arrested as a result of painstaking intelligence gathering with the support and collaboration of members of the public.

He said that the suspects were arrested in their various hideouts by operatives of the command monitoring unit.

One of the armed robbery suspects, a 35-year-old, told journalists that his gang operated with cutlasses to instill fear in their victims before snatching their mobile phones.

The suspect said that the gang had snatched a total of 10 expensive phones, which were eventually sold for between N40,000 and N50,000.

Also speaking in an interview, the suspected cultist student said he was initiated as the leader of the group a year ago after graduating from an institution in Apata area of Ibadan.

The suspect said that he could not really say what pushed him into joining the cult group. (NAN)

The 51-year-old comedian and actor is facing several charges of rape and sexual assault against six women, which are alleged to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court, which could last up to 10 weeks, is expected to begin with the process of jury selection on Monday morning.

Brand pleaded not guilty to the charges during pre-trial hearings.

The comedian and actor arrived at court wearing a navy suit and sunglasses, accompanied by his wife Laura.

There was a large media presence at the court for the start of the trial, which is expected to last up to 10 weeks.

He has been charged with three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault.

He rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother’s Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations.

Brand went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and getting him to the Greek. In recent years, he has turned to podcasting.