FG Sets Up Probe Panel, Suspends 21 NSCDC Officers Over 37 Custody Deaths in Niger

The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Niger State Command on suspicion of illegal mining, while suspending the state commandant and 20 other officers pending the outcome of the probe.

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced the measures on Saturday in a statement, acting on a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident that occurred on Thursday, 17 September 2026.

The minister described the deaths as deeply disturbing and said the government owes the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a full and transparent account of the events. The committee has been mandated to establish the identities of the deceased, examine the circumstances of their arrests and detention, determine the cause of their deaths, and identify any responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct. It is also expected to recommend appropriate actions, including possible compensation and measures to prevent a recurrence.

The panel is chaired by Mr Jonathan Kure, mni, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, with Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, as secretary.

Other members are retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a histopathologist and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; a representative of the Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Mr Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and public affairs analyst Dr George Agbakahi.

The committee has two weeks to complete its work and submit its report to the minister. It may co-opt experts, visit relevant locations, access facilities and documents, and invite memoranda from the public. The minister directed the NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate fully and preserve all records and material evidence. He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.

In addition to the Niger State Commandant of the Corps, the following officers have been suspended: SC Usman Isah Ndamaka (O/C Station Guard); ASCI Hassan Mohammed and CCA Bala Mohammed (Station Guards); CSC Oluwadare Sunday (Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation); DCC Obafemi Elvis and CSC Annas Shitto Lamino (Arresting Officers); DCC Philip Ajayi (HOD INT/INV); ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado (O/C Legal); ASCI Alhassan Mohammed (Day/Night Duty Officer); and guard duty personnel IC Abdullahi Sale, IC Mohammed Sonfada, CAI Liman Abubakar, CAI Bala Usman, IC Mohammed Jiya, DSC Isah Suleiman, CAI Ahmed Wushishi, IC Sale Adamu, IC Haruna Mohammed, ASCI Aliyu Sallah and CAI Isah Sanusi.

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The 37 deceased were among scores of suspects arrested during NSCDC “burst operations” targeting illegal mining activities in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on 15 and 16 September. The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths, discovered in the early hours of 17 September at its detention facility in Minna, to a suspected disease outbreak, with some reports mentioning diphtheria. Bodies were deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination.

Intelligence reports and survivor accounts have pointed to severe overcrowding—claims of more than 60 people in a single poorly ventilated cell—along with heat and possible suffocation. Other allegations of physical assault or the spraying of a substance have also circulated, though the official cause remains undetermined pending autopsies and forensic work.

The incident triggered public unrest in Minna, including attacks on public buildings, prompting a temporary curfew. Niger State Governor Umaru Bago confirmed the death toll, suspended the state commandant, declared a period of mourning, and ordered state-level inquiries alongside police and other security agency probes. The Inspector-General of Police has assured a thorough investigation, noting that deaths in custody fall under police jurisdiction.

Minister Tunji-Ojo extended the Federal Government’s condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the independent investigation proceeds.