The Nigerian Federal Government has established a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 individuals who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. The committee, constituted by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on September 19, will examine the circumstances surrounding the arrests, detention, and treatment of the affected persons. The probe follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's directive for a comprehensive, transparent, and unhindered investigation into the deaths.
The Chairman of the Editorial Board of Blueprint Newspapers, Mrs. Zainab Suleiman Okino, has been appointed as a member of the investigative committee. Her inclusion brings a media perspective to the panel, which comprises professionals from the security, legal, medical, mining, human rights, and public affairs sectors. The committee has been given two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior. It may also co-opt relevant experts, access facilities and documents, visit locations connected to the incident, and request memoranda from members of the public.
The committee is chaired by Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), while Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), a former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, will serve as secretary. Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and the Niger State Government.
One of the principal responsibilities of the committee is to establish the identities of the deceased, as questions have emerged over the identities of those who died in custody. The committee is also expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrests and detention of the 37 people and establish the cause and circumstances of their deaths. The Federal Government has listed the victims as individuals suspected of illegal mining.
The government has directed the NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate fully with the investigation and preserve records and other evidence connected with the incident. As part of the response to the deaths, the Minister of Interior has ordered the suspension of 20 NSCDC officers linked to the incident, in addition to the suspension of the NSCDC Commandant in Niger State, Suberu Aniviye. The suspended personnel include officers responsible for station guard duties, arrest and investigation, intelligence and investigation, legal services, day and night duties, and other custodial responsibilities.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also begun a preliminary investigation into the deaths. The commission has expressed concern over the loss of lives in state custody and said its investigation would seek to establish the circumstances leading to the deaths. The NHRC has called for an independent forensic autopsy and preservation of relevant evidence, stressing that persons arrested on suspicion of an offence remain entitled to their fundamental rights under Nigerian law and applicable international human rights instruments.
The Minister of Interior has described the deaths as deeply disturbing and warned that attempts to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses, or obstruct the investigation would be treated as serious offences. The government's position is that the investigation must establish the facts surrounding the deaths rather than rely on preliminary accounts of the incident. The deaths were initially linked by the NSCDC to a suspected outbreak of disease among detainees; however, the precise cause and circumstances of the deaths remain subject to investigation.
Key points
- The Nigerian government has set up a 10-member panel to investigate the deaths of 37 miners in NSCDC custody.
- The committee has been given two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.
- The investigation aims to establish the identities of the deceased, the circumstances surrounding their arrests and detention, and the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
