FG has sets up 10-member panel to probe deaths of 37 NSCDC detainees in Niger.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
The detainees were reportedly arrested on suspicion of illegal mining and died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the NSCDC Niger State Command. The circumstances and cause of the deaths remain subject to investigation.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the committee on Saturday, following a directive from President Bola Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.
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The government said the panel would establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, as well as determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
It will also investigate possible responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable and measures to prevent a recurrence.
The minister warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.
The committee will be chaired by Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, will serve as secretary.
Other members are retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and public affairs analyst Dr George Agbakahi.
The panel has the authority to co-opt relevant experts, access facilities and documents, visit locations connected with the incident and request memoranda from members of the public.
It has two weeks to complete its investigation and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.
The Federal Government has also suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other officers pending the outcome of the investigation. The suspension covers officers involved in the arrests, investigation, legal processes, detention and guard duties connected with the facility.
The deaths have already prompted separate investigations at the state and law-enforcement levels. Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago previously confirmed the deaths and said forensic, medical examinations and autopsies were being pursued to establish the scientific cause.
The incident has also generated public concern and protests in Minna. Reports from AP and Reuters said authorities were investigating competing accounts about the circumstances of the deaths, while the precise cause remained unclear.
The Interior Ministry said the Federal Government was committed to establishing the facts surrounding the deaths and ensuring accountability where wrongdoing is established.
Tunji-Ojo expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the independent investigation continues.
