The indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the aegis of the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO), have demanded a full-scale investigation, independent forensic autopsies, and prosecution of anyone found culpable in the deaths of 37 Nigerians who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State. The group described the incident as a grave tragedy and an alleged violation of the state's fundamental duty to protect citizens in its custody, warning that the deaths must not be reduced to an internal disciplinary matter or buried under another inconclusive investigation. In a statement signed by its executive director, Commandant Isaac David, the natives said the incident was particularly painful to the original inhabitants of the FCT because of longstanding ancestral and historical ties between communities in Abuja and Niger State.
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