The Federal Government’s Independent Investigative Committee probing the deaths of 37 persons in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has found that the victims died from asphyxiation.
The committee chairman and former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, disclosed this on Tuesday while presenting the panel’s report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.
Kure said the committee recommended ₦1.4 billion in compensation for the families of 33 victims and 44 survivors.
He described the deaths as avoidable, noting that the victims, including 14 minors, were held in inhuman conditions.
The panel also recommended the summary dismissal of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and other officers directly involved in the detention of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
It further called for institutional reforms within the corps to strengthen its leadership and improve accountability.
In a related development, Tunji-Ojo directed the NSCDC Commandant-General to immediately suspend all officers allegedly involved in cleaning up the detention centre in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The findings mark a major development in the investigation into the deaths of suspected illegal miners who died on September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command in Minna.
The victims were among dozens of persons arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state.
