Niger miners’ death: Investigation panel links incident to extreme heat, overcrowding of cell

The independent ministerial committee investigating the recent deaths of 33 persons in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Minna, Niger State, has established the causes of the deaths of the suspects.

The chairman of the committee, Jonathan Kure, while presenting the report of the investigation to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday, identified the causes of death to include “overcrowding, unsuitable detention conditions, failure of duty of care, inadequate supervision”.

The panel has therefore recommended N1.4 billion compensation for deceased families and survivors.

The 10-man investigative committee proposed the sum while presenting the report to the Minister of Interior.

Ina addition, the panel has recommended the dismissal and prosecution of senior officers involved in the incident.

President Bola Tinubu had ordered a comprehensive investigation and vowed that the suspension of officers implicated in the matter would not replace criminal prosecution where evidence of wrongdoing is established.

“The suspension of officers is only an administrative step and must not substitute for a proper determination of criminal responsibility where the evidence warrants prosecution”, the President said.

“We must never allow the pursuit of one form of illegality to create another. The government must enforce the law firmly, but it must also obey the law. The sanctity of human life is non-negotiable.”

The president directed the Ministry of Interior and the NSCDC leadership to cooperate fully with the investigation and prevent any attempt to interfere with the process or frustrate efforts to establish the facts.

The Federal Government had earlier suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and 20 other officers pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated a 10-member independent committee chaired by Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, to investigate the deaths and recommend appropriate action.

The committee was mandated to establish the identities of the deceased, examine the circumstances of their arrest and detention, determine the cause of death and identify any responsibility, negligence or misconduct by officers of the corps.

The investigation also covered the conditions at the detention facility, the number of detainees held there and the medical attention provided before the deaths.

The NSCDC had admitted that the suspected miners died in its custody but said the cause of death had not been established.

Reports had suggested that overcrowding and poor ventilation might have contributed to the deaths. A survivor reportedly said about 65 people were held in the cell.

The NSCDC had initially said a diphtheria outbreak may have led to the deaths but noted that medical and laboratory examinations were required to determine the cause of death.

The FG committee had earlier requested a two-week extension to complete its assignment due to delays in obtaining forensic and pathology reports and the volume of evidence requiring examination.

Its chairman, Kure, said the panel had visited the detention facility in Minna, inspected the mining site and NSCDC state headquarters, conducted autopsies and obtained statements from survivors, bereaved families, corps personnel and other witnesses.

The panel also said it needed to allow suspended officers and other persons implicated in the allegations to respond before concluding its work.

The committee’s Chairman, retired Deputy Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure said that the committee proposed N30 million naira for each of the 33 bereaved families.

Kure added that the committee also proposed that N10 million naira be given to each of the 41 survivors, alongside educational, medical and psychological support.

He noted that the deaths of the suspected miners in the custody of the NSCDC between Sept. 16 and 17, 2026, resulted from preventable custodial failures and inhumane detention conditions.

He called for the construction of standard detention facilities across NSCDC commands, installation of closed-circuit television cameras in custodial areas and the establishment of independent inspection and oversight mechanisms.

Other recommendations he said include improved emergency medical response, stronger custody management procedures, human rights training, better intelligence reporting systems and increased operational funding.

Kure urged the federal government to implement the recommendations, ensure accountability and provide meaningful support to victims’ families and survivors.

He said the report also identified severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, lack of running water, poor lighting and insufficient toilet facilities in the male detention cell.

He noted that the tragedy exposed systemic weaknesses in detention infrastructure, supervision and accountability, warning that urgent reforms were necessary to prevent similar incidents.

While testifying before the panel, the Commissioner for Homeland Security in Niger State Mr. Maurice Magaji had alleged that the operatives of the NSCDC went beyond their official responsibility within their rules of engagement.

On the committee’s report, the miners were exposed to extreme heat and dehydration due to overcrowding, which made it difficult for them to breathe and survive.

The committee further said that the operation which led to the arrest of the suspects was without an operational order or approval from the national headquarters of the NSCDC.

The head of operations, NSCDC Niger State Command, Deputy Commander of Corps John Abraham had narrated how they carried out the operation which led to the arrest of the 69 miners.

He told Justice Mohammed Mohammed-led nine-member commission of inquiry that they carried out the operation based on the directives of the suspended Niger State commandant of the corps, Siaka Subairu Aniviye.

He maintained that after the arrest they handed over the suspects to the Department of intelligence and investigation for further action.

He said they merely carried out the order of the state commandant.

On his part, the commissioner told the commission that their mode of official conduct was uncivil and that they should have been more professional in the discharge of their duty.

According to the commissioner, men of the NSCDC need more orientation in their mode of operation as a security outfit, stating that revelations from survivors were so embarrassing.

“My lord, the information we received from the survivors in our committee as regards to the manner and way the NSCDC carried out their operations could best be described as unprofessional and they need to be called to order,” he said.

He told the commission that the excesses of the NSCDC in their operational conduct did not portray operatives of the NSCDC as a security outfit because they did not operate within the law that established the corps.

He confirmed that on the 17th of September 2026, he received a phone call from the suspended commandant of the NSCDC in Niger State, Siayaka Zubeiru Aniriviye on the death of the 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the command.

He stated that upon the receipt of the report, “I put a call to my boss, the governor, on the report I got from the suspended commandant.

“The governor then directed that their bodies should be evacuated to the hospital, the suspended Commandant then told me that he needed some logistics to transport them to the hospital.

“I then contacted my permanent secretary and raised some funds for transporting them to the hospital,” the commissioner told the commission.

Recall that the victims died in custody on September 17, 2026, following their arrest during anti-illegal mining operations in the Wushishi-Lukoto area.

The federal panel ruled out disease outbreaks and established that the deaths resulted from acute respiratory failure caused by a cramped, poorly ventilated cell, extreme heat, and lack of ventilation.