Miners’ deaths: FG inaugurates 10-member investigative panel
The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday in Abuja following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive probe into the incident.
The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, serves as secretary.
Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof Olayinka Buhari, a professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; and representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and the Niger State Government.
The committee also has Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Blueprint Newspaper journalist Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi, as members.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.
The circumstances and cause of the deaths remain unclear, prompting the Federal Government to order an investigation into the incident.
Speaking at the inauguration, Tunji-Ojo thanked President Tinubu for setting up the committee and directing the investigation, saying the move was intended to ensure justice for the deceased.
The minister also sympathised with the families of the victims and urged members of the public to remain calm while the committee conducts its investigation.
According to him, the committee has two weeks to conclude its assignment and submit its report to the minister.
He said, “‘As you can see from the membership of this committee, there is absolutely no excuse for justice not to be done. Let your performance and your sustained integrity over the years justify what will be done.”
The committee is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and provide findings that could guide further action by the government.
