The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member independent investigative panel to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja on Tuesday, said the government owed Nigerians and the families of the deceased a transparent account of what happened, insisting that no officer would be shielded if found culpable.
The investigation follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered inquiry into the incident, which occurred on September 17, 2026.
Tunji-Ojo also confirmed the suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC and 20 other personnel involved in the arrest, investigation, legal, detention and guard duties connected with the detainees.
The suspensions, according to the government, are administrative measures pending the outcome of the independent investigation and do not constitute a finding of individual culpability.
The minister, while expressing condolences to the families of the deceased, said: “No life should be lost in the custody of the State.”
He stressed that the government was committed to establishing the truth, adding that the circumstances surrounding the deaths demanded a thorough and credible investigation.
The panel is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, serves as secretary.
Other members are retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof. Olayinka Buhari, a professor of histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Liman Sulaiman; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Blueprint Newspaper’s Zainab Suleiman Okino; and public affairs analyst George Agbakahi.
Panel Gets Two Weeks
The committee has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.
Its terms of reference include establishing the identities of the deceased; reconstructing the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention; and determining the cause and manner of death through appropriate medical and forensic examinations.
The panel is also mandated to investigate possible negligence, misconduct, complicity or breaches of duty and recommend appropriate disciplinary measures, compensation where applicable, as well as safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
It has been authorised to visit locations connected to the incident, access relevant facilities and documents, conduct forensic examinations, engage additional experts where necessary and receive memoranda from members of the public.
Tunji-Ojo warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.
Conflicting Accounts
The deaths have generated conflicting accounts over their immediate cause.
The NSCDC initially associated the deaths with a suspected disease outbreak, while reports have raised questions about overcrowding and ventilation at the detention facility.
Survivors have subsequently alleged that detainees experienced breathing difficulties after an unidentified substance was allegedly sprayed into an overcrowded cell before its doors were locked. Reuters reported the allegations on Tuesday, while stressing that the cause of death remains officially undetermined.
The competing accounts have heightened the importance of the panel’s medical and forensic mandate. Establishing precisely how the detainees died will be central to determining whether the deaths resulted from illness, environmental conditions, alleged mistreatment or a combination of factors.
The panel will also be expected to establish what officials knew about the condition of the detainees, whether medical assistance was sought or provided, and whether the detention arrangements complied with applicable procedures.
Kure: We Will Work With Open Minds
Responding on behalf of the committee, its chairman, Jonathan Kure, described the assignment as a call to national service rather than merely an appointment.
Kure pledged that the panel would approach the investigation without prejudice, saying its members would not be influenced by sentiments or media narratives surrounding the incident.
He said the committee would go to the field with open minds and return with its report and integrity intact.
“We shall ensure justice by going to the field with open minds. We want to give this assurance to Nigerians. We are not swayed by sentiments or media hypes that might have been given.”
Kure added that the panel’s overriding responsibility was to establish the facts and “give hope to this country.”
Public Anger, Protests
The deaths have triggered protests in Minna, with demonstrations escalating into clashes with security personnel and prompting the authorities to impose a curfew. Reuters reported that at least one protester was killed during the unrest.
The incident has also drawn renewed attention to detention conditions and the treatment of suspects in the custody of security agencies.
Families of the deceased are seeking answers over how their relatives died and whether the deaths could have been prevented, while public pressure has intensified for those found responsible for any wrongdoing to face appropriate consequences.
The arrests followed security operations targeting suspected illegal mining in the Wushishi-Lukoto area of Niger State. The deaths have consequently raised questions not only about enforcement of mining regulations but also about the safeguards applicable to people detained during such operations.
For the families, however, the immediate questions remain simple but fundamental: what happened inside the detention facility, what caused the deaths, and whether any failures or misconduct contributed to the tragedy.
The Federal Government has urged the families to remain calm while the panel conducts its work, with the two-week deadline now placing the committee under pressure to deliver a credible account of one of the most serious recent custodial-death controversies in Niger State.
