By NEWSCOUNT Desk
The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the reported deaths of 37 people held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, over alleged illegal mining.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the constitution of the committee on Saturday, September 19, 2026, following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.
The deaths occurred on Thursday, September 17, after the detainees were arrested during enforcement operations against suspected illegal mining activities in Niger State.
Reports on the incident indicate that many of those who died were minors, with some reported to be between 14 and 18 years old. However, the Federal Government said the independent investigation would establish the identities of the deceased and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The Minister described the deaths as deeply disturbing, stressing that the Federal Government owes the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of what happened.
He directed that all officers involved in the incident be suspended pending the conclusion of the investigation.
According to the Ministry, the committee will establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances of their arrests and detention, as well as the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable, as well as measures to prevent a recurrence.
The Minister directed the leadership of the NSCDC and all relevant officers to cooperate fully with the committee and ensure that all records and material evidence connected with the incident are preserved and made available to investigators.
He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.
The committee is chaired by Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, is the secretary.
Other members are retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; a representative of the Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.
The committee may co-opt relevant experts, access necessary facilities and documents, visit locations relevant to the incident and request memoranda from members of the public.
It has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.
The Federal Government also announced the suspension of 20 additional NSCDC officers, in addition to the suspension of the Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye.
Those suspended are the Officer-in-Charge, Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka; Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed; Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed; Arresting Officer/Officer-in-Charge of Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday; Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis; Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino; Head of Intelligence/Investigation, DCC Philip Ajayi; Officer-in-Charge of Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado; and Day/Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed.
Also suspended are Guard Duty officers IC Abdullahi Sale, IC Mohammed Sonfada, CAI Liman Abubakar, CAI Bala Usman, IC Mohammed Jiya, DSC Isah Suleiman, CAI Ahmed Wushishi, IC Sale Adamu, IC Haruna Mohammed, ASCI Aliyu Sallah and CAI Isah Sanusi.
The incident followed an NSCDC operation at mining locations around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16, during which scores of suspected illegal miners were arrested and various exhibits recovered.
The NSCDC Niger State Command had subsequently confirmed that some of the detainees were found dead in the early hours of September 17. At the time, the command said it suspected a disease outbreak and that the bodies had been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to determine the actual cause of death. The cause has not been conclusively established.
President Tinubu, in his directive for the investigation, said the fact that the deceased were suspected of illegal mining did not remove their right to life, dignity and humane treatment while in government custody.
He directed investigators to examine the circumstances of the arrests, the condition of the detainees when they were taken into custody, the conditions under which they were detained, the number of people held at the facility, the medical attention provided and the events leading to the deaths.
The President also stressed that the suspension of officers was only an administrative measure and should not substitute for determining criminal responsibility where evidence establishes culpability.
He directed that any official whose actions, abuse or negligence is found to have contributed to the deaths should be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Niger State Government had separately constituted a committee of inquiry headed by Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba to investigate the deaths and ordered autopsies to help establish their cause.
The deaths have generated protests and public concern in Minna, with the Niger State Government imposing a curfew following unrest. The Federal Government has appealed for calm while the independent investigation proceeds.
Tunji-Ojo extended the Federal Government’s condolences to the families of the deceased and assured them that the circumstances surrounding the deaths would be thoroughly investigated.
