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The Nigerian government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State over suspected illegal mining.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the committee on Saturday after President Bola Tinubu directed a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.
The cause of the deaths has not been established, with authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to a statement signed by Tunji-Ojo, the committee will establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances of their arrests and detention, as well as the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
It will also determine whether there was any 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 is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, 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, a Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; and representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government.
The panel also includes Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and public affairs analyst Dr George Agbakahi.
The committee may also co-opt relevant experts, access facilities and documents, visit locations connected to the incident and receive memoranda from members of the public.
It has two weeks to complete the investigation and submit its report to the minister.
Tunji-Ojo expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm as the investigation continues.
