An independent investigative committee has found that 37 suspected illegal miners died from environmental asphyxia while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, describing the incident as a preventable custodial tragedy.
The committee was constituted by the Federal Ministry of Interior following a presidential directive to investigate the deaths. It examined the circumstances surrounding the arrest, detention, treatment and deaths of the detainees between September 15 and 17, 2026.
The committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, a former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, presented the findings to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.
The 65-page report contained 46 pages of substantive findings, while the remaining pages covered the preliminary aspects of the evaluation. The committee reviewed medical, documentary and physical evidence, assessed compliance with applicable laws and detention standards, and examined individual and institutional responsibilities.
The panel concluded that the deaths were caused by severe overcrowding, unlawful detention conditions, failure of duty of care, disregard of repeated distress warnings, inadequate supervision and wider systemic deficiencies.
It found no evidence supporting claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak. Instead, available medical and forensic evidence indicated that the victims died from environmental asphyxia, described as acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell, aggravated by heat stress and dehydration.
The committee also found that the detainees, including 14 minors, were held in inhuman conditions. It recommended ₦1.4 billion in compensation for the families of 33 victims and 44 survivors.
The panel further recommended the summary dismissal of the Niger State NSCDC commandant and other officers directly involved in the detention and eventual deaths of the miners. It also called for institutional reforms within the corps to strengthen its leadership.
Receiving the report, Tunji-Ojo pledged to implement the committee’s recommendations to ensure justice for those affected. He also directed the NSCDC commandant to immediately suspend officers who cleaned up the detention centre in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The 37 suspected illegal miners died on September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command in Minna. They were among dozens of persons arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state.
