The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent panel to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners detained in Niger State by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced the establishment of the committee on Saturday following a directive from President Bola Tinubu ordering a full-scale inquiry into the incident.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.
While the exact cause of death has not been established, authorities have mandated a comprehensive probe to determine the circumstances surrounding the event.
The government said in a statement signed by the minister that the commission would identify the deceased and investigate their detention, arrests and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The commission would also determine accountability, complicity, negligence and misconduct. It would recommend appropriate action, compensation where necessary and measures to prevent a recurrence.
Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), a former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, will serve as the committee’s secretary, while Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, will chair the committee.
Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; and a representative of the Niger State Government.
According to the statement, the committee is authorized to visit relevant sites, request memoranda from the public, inspect facilities and records, and co-opt relevant experts.
The panel has been given a two-week mandate to conclude its investigation and submit its findings to the minister.
20 NSCDC officers suspended
Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) alongside 20 other officers following the deaths of 37 illegal miners detained in the Corps’ custody.
The officials were placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of an independent investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
The Ministry of Interior announced the suspensions in a statement signed by the minister on Saturday.
According to the statement, the suspension coincides with the inauguration of a 10-member independent panel impaneled to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Full list of 20 other NSCDC officers suspended
- O/C Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka
- Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed
- Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed
- Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday
- Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis
- Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino
- HOD INT/INV, DCC Philip Ajayi
- O/C Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado
- Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed
- Guard Duty, IC Abdullahi Sale
- Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Sonfada
- Guard Duty, CAI Liman Abubakar
- Guard Duty, CAI Bala Usman
- Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Jiya
- Guard Duty, DSC Isah Suleiman
- Guard Duty, CAI Ahmed Wushishi
- Guard Duty, IC Sale Adamu
- Guard Duty, IC Haruna Mohammed
- Guard Duty, ASCI Aliyu Sallah
- Guard Duty, CAI Isah Sanusi
Backstory…
During enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto districts of the state on September 15 and 16, the NSCDC Niger State Command apprehended several suspected illegal miners, including the 37 deceased.
The Corps stated that the operation was part of measures to curb illicit mining activities, with various exhibits recovered during the arrests.
The following day, some of the detainees were discovered dead in NSCDC custody in Minna.
In its initial statement attributing the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, the NSCDC noted that the bodies were conveyed to the Minna General Hospital for medical evaluation to establish the exact cause of death.
However, a survivor reported that a perfume-like substance was sprayed into an overcrowded cell shortly before several detainees began to collapse.
Following public protests in Minna over the deaths, the Niger State Government imposed a curfew across the affected area.
Governor Umar Bago confirmed the death toll and called for a state-level investigation into the incident.
The governor subsequently declared a 24-hour curfew in the region.
Read Also: Niger Declares 24-Hour Curfew as Protests Erupt Over Miners’ Deaths
