The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated a 10-member Independent Investigative Committee to probe the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
Inaugurating the panel in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, declared that government institutions must never become places of death, assuring Nigerians that no officer found culpable would be shielded. He said the government received reports on September 17, 2026, that the 37 persons detained by the NSCDC in connection with suspected illegal mining had died in custody.
The minister said following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation, he ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC and all officers on arrest, investigation, legal, station and guard duties between September 15 and 17. They remain suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while a former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, will serve as secretary. Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma, Prof Olayinka Buhari, a representative of the Minna Emirate Council, a representative of the Niger State Government, Alhaji Liman Sulaiman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, lawyer Deji Adeyanju, Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino, and Dr George Agbakahi.
According to the minister, the committee is expected to establish the identities of the deceased, document the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, determine through medical and forensic examinations the cause and manner of death, and investigate whether negligence, misconduct, complicity or breach of duty occurred. The panel has two weeks to submit its report.
