Panel Vows Justice in Minna Miners’ Deaths Probe

The 10-member independent committee investigating the deaths of 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna has assured affected families that it will conduct a fair and thorough investigation.

The committee Chairman and retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure, gave the assurance when he led members of the panel on a courtesy visit to Niger State Governor Umaru Bago at the Government House in Minna.

Kure said the committee had arrived in Niger State to begin the assignment mandated by President Bola Tinubu.

He disclosed that the panel’s medical team had started work shortly after the committee was inaugurated to preserve and establish evidence that could help determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The committee chairman assured residents of Niger State and the affected families that the panel would operate independently and ensure fairness throughout the investigation.

He said the committee would establish what went wrong and determine responsibility where necessary. 

“We will do our best to unravel what went wrong and apportion blame where blame needs to go. Anybody who has been brought into this that has nothing to do with it, where we see it, we will also be fair to such a person,” Kure said.

Kure also expressed condolences to the Niger State Government and residents, describing the deaths as a matter of concern for both the state and the country.

Governor Bago, in response, thanked the committee for the visit and pledged the state government’s full cooperation to enable the panel to carry out its mandate effectively.

The governor expressed confidence that the committee, made up of professionals from relevant sectors, would establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 miners.

Bago said the committee was made up of people of integrity and would be closely watched as it conducts the investigation.