FG SETS UP 10-MEMBER PANEL TO PROBE DEATHS OF 37 NSCDC DETAINEES

Read Time:1 Minute, 51 Second

By ‘Balogun Ibrahim

The Federal Government has set up a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the committee’s formation on Saturday following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.

The circumstances and cause of the deaths remain unclear, prompting authorities to order an investigation into the incident.

READ MORE…

2027: ONDO APC LAUNCHES RECONCILIATION DRIVE ACROSS 18 LGAS

In a statement signed by the minister, said the committee would establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrest, detention and deaths.

It will also investigate possible responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct, and recommend appropriate measures, including compensation where necessary, as well as steps to prevent a recurrence.

The government warned that anyone found attempting to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or interfere with the investigation would face serious consequences.

The committee will be chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), a former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, will serve as secretary.

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; and representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government.

Also on the panel are 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 has the authority to co-opt relevant experts, access documents and facilities, visit locations connected to the incident and receive memoranda from members of the public.

It has been given two weeks to complete its investigation and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.

Tunji-Ojo expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm as the investigation proceeds.