Nigeria, Sept. 26 -- This is the thought that I have not been able to shake off: the brutal deaths of thirty-seven Nigerians while in state custody in Minna, Niger State, after they were arrested for suspected illegal mining.

Their immediate families and all of us are suddenly thrown into mourning. It is horrific, gruesome and barbaric, and the circumstances around it remind us that the government is more reactive than proactive.

To be fair, the authorities moved relatively quickly to suspend some senior officials, condemn the deaths and set up an independent inquiry with credible people on the panel. But I would not leap to my feet to applaud the government. I'm stuck on the fact that a legal and regulatory framework that recognises an...