By Ayodele Oni
The Minister of Interior, Mr. Tunji Ojo has ordered the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to immediately suspend all officers allegedly involved in cleaning up the detention centre in Niger State where 37 detained suspected illegal miners died while in the custody, in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The Minister gave the directive on Tuesday while receiving the report of Federal Government’s Independent Investigative Committee probing the deaths of 37 persons in the custody of the NSCDC in Niger State.
The Committee, in the report found out that the victims died from asphyxiation.
The Committee Chairman and former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, revealed this while presenting the panel’s report to the Minister in Abuja.
Kure also disclosed that 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.
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.
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