Falana Demands Prosecution for 37 NSCDC Detainee Deaths and 48 Odongo Brew Fatalities

Femi Falana, SAN, has urged the Attorneys-General of Niger and Ondo States to prosecute those responsible for two separate tragedies. In Niger State, he called for investigation into the deaths of 37 suspects detained by the NSCDC over alleged illegal mining, who were found dead two days after arrest in a detention facility near Borgu due to alleged overcrowding and poor ventilation. Falana drew parallels to the 1980 Lagos incident where 50 suspects suffocated in a police van. Separately, in Ondo State, he urged the Attorney-General to take over NAFDAC's case involving a mass illness outbreak linked to locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions, which has caused 48 deaths out of 182 reported cases, left five people totally blind and two partially blind, and affected communities including New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga—with highest cases in Odigbo and Araromi-Obu. Fifteen people have been arrested over production and distribution of the suspected poisonous beverages. Falana stressed that criminal accountability must accompany investigations and urged authorities to ensure detention facilities comply with UN Nelson Mandela Rules to prevent recurrence.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/09/20/niger-ondo-deaths-falana-calls-for-prosecution-of-suspects/