Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Federal Government has constituted an independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 persons who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps over alleged illegal mining activities in Niger State.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, September 19, 2026, following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident of September 17.
Tunji-Ojo also ordered the suspension of the Niger State Commandant and 20 other NSCDC officers linked to the incident pending the outcome of the investigation.
The minister said the deaths were deeply disturbing and stressed that the government owed the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the statement, the 10-member committee will establish the identities of the deceased, examine their arrests and detention, determine the causes and circumstances of their deaths, and establish responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct.
The committee will also recommend appropriate action, compensation where applicable, and measures to prevent a recurrence.
Tunji-Ojo directed the NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate fully with the investigation, while ordering the preservation and release of all records and material evidence connected to the incident.
“Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence,” he warned.
The committee is chaired by retired DSS Deputy Director-General, Jonathan Kure, while former Nigerian Law School Director-General, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), will serve as secretary. Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma, Prof. Olayinka Buhari, representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government, Miners Association of Nigeria National Secretary Liman Sulaiman, lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, Blueprint Newspaper’s Zainab Suleiman Okino and public affairs analyst George Agbakahi.
The committee may co-opt relevant experts, access necessary documents and facilities, visit locations connected to the incident and receive memoranda from members of the public. It has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.
The 20 suspended officers include personnel assigned to station guard, arrest, investigation, intelligence, legal and guard duties. The suspension is in addition to that of the Niger State Commandant.
The minister expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the independent investigation continues.
