Niger miners’ custody deaths: Probe panel seeks additional two weeks to submit report

The Independent Investigative Committee set up by the Federal Government to probe the reported deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, has requested an additional two weeks to conclude its assignment.

The committee, headed by a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Jonathan Kure, said it had requested that the deadline for submitting its report be extended from October 7 to October 21, 2026.

Kure, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, said the extension was necessary to enable the committee to conduct a thorough and credible investigation.

He said the committee had made appreciable progress, including visiting the custody facility and the mining site, conducting autopsies, taking statements from NSCDC personnel, survivors, families of the deceased and other witnesses, as well as collecting documentary and forensic evidence.

However, he said the committee was yet to conclude its assignment due to the large volume of testimonies and documentary evidence requiring meticulous review and collation.

He also cited pending forensic and pathology reports, which he said were essential to establishing the cause of death, as well as the need to give all persons implicated in the incident, including suspended officers, a fair opportunity to respond.

According to him, the committee was determined to ensure that its findings and recommendations would withstand scrutiny and command public confidence.

Kure said: “We promised Nigerians a thorough job. Because of this, we have applied and sought for an extension of another two weeks, where we hope that our report will be ready.

“We are determined to do what is just, what is right, and it will have to be seen to be thorough and credible,” he added.

He explained that the committee had interacted with the survivors, bereaved families and NSCDC personnel who were directly or indirectly involved in the incident.

“We were able to go to Minna, where we interacted with all the survivors. We were able to meet with bereaved families, families of all the deceased.

“We were also able to go to the site, the mining site, as well as visiting the State Command headquarters of the Civil Defence, where we went to the scene of the incident,” he said.

The chairman added that the committee had identified issues that would require further examination, including possible institutional breakdown, overzealousness and the need for additional training for some personnel.

Kure said the committee would use the additional two weeks to complete its interactions, analyse the evidence and receive the outstanding medical reports before submitting its final report.

Recall that the Federal Government had inaugurated the 10-member committee following reports that 37 persons arrested on suspicion of illegal mining died while in NSCDC custody in Niger State.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while inaugurating the committee, said its establishment was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.

Tunji-Ojo said the government’s immediate priority was to establish the facts surrounding the deaths and ensure that anyone found culpable would be held accountable.

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He had also ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC and all officers on duty covering arrest, investigation, legal, station and guard duties between September 15 and 17, 2026, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The committee is expected to establish the identities of the deceased, investigate the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, determine the cause and manner of death through medical and forensic examination, and establish whether negligence, misconduct, complicity or breach of duty occurred.

It is also expected to recommend appropriate disciplinary action, compensation where applicable, and measures to prevent a recurrence.

Kure, while assuring Nigerians that the committee would maintain its integrity, said members would approach the investigation without bias, sentiment or undue influence.

He said the committee viewed the assignment as a call to national service and would return with its report after conducting a thorough investigation.

The chairman also expressed condolences to the families of NSCDC personnel recently killed in another incident, saying the committee could not conclude its interaction without acknowledging the sacrifice of personnel who died in national service.