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FG Inaugurates 10-Member Panel To Probe Deaths Of 37 NSCDC Detainees

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The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday in Abuja following President……

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday in Abuja following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

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

The cause of the deaths has yet to be established, prompting the Federal Government to set up the panel to determine what led to the incident.

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

READ ALSO: Abbas Condoles Families of Miners Who Died in NSCDC Custody

Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof. 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.

Also on the panel are National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Liman Sulaiman; lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju; Blueprint Newspapers journalist, Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.

Inaugurating the committee, Tunji-Ojo said its composition provided no excuse for justice to be denied to the victims.

“From the membership of this committee, there is absolutely no excuse for justice not to be done. Let your performance and your sustained integrity over the years justify what will be done,” the minister told members.

He thanked President Tinubu for ordering the investigation and said the move was aimed at ensuring justice for the deceased.

Tunji-Ojo also commiserated with the families of the victims and appealed for calm while the committee carries out its assignment.

The minister gave the committee two weeks to conclude its investigation and submit its report.

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