The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the investigation on Saturday, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered probe into the incident.
The deaths occurred on Thursday, September 17, after the victims were arrested during operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities in parts of Niger State.
Tunji-Ojo also ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other officers linked to the incident, pending the outcome of the investigation.
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 determine whether there was responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable.
The committee is chaired by a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, will serve as secretary.
Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a histopathology professor and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Liman Sulaiman; lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju; Blueprint Newspaper’s Zainab Suleiman Okino; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.
The committee has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.
It has also been empowered to invite relevant experts, access necessary documents and facilities, visit locations connected with the incident and receive memoranda from members of the public.
Tunji-Ojo directed the NSCDC leadership and all officers involved to cooperate fully with the investigation and preserve all records and evidence connected with the deaths.
He warned that anyone who attempts to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would face consequences.
The Federal Government’s action followed growing concerns over the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, had earlier confirmed that 37 suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody in Minna.
Bago said the exact cause of death had not been established, noting that investigators were examining possibilities including suffocation from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances associated with illegal mining. Forensic examinations, medical examinations and autopsies were ordered to establish the scientific cause of the deaths.
The governor also said reports concerning the number of detainees and conditions in the cells were being investigated.
President Tinubu had directed that the probe should cover the arrests, conditions of detention, medical attention provided to the detainees and the events leading to their deaths.
The President stressed that suspected involvement in illegal mining did not remove the detainees’ right to life, dignity and humane treatment while in government custody.
The investigation is expected to establish what happened and determine whether any official action, negligence or misconduct contributed to the deaths.
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