*Recommends dismissal, prosecution of indicted officers
WorldStage– The Federal Government’s Independent Investigative Committee probing the tragic deaths of detainees in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered gross negligence and recommended the summary dismissal and prosecution of the responsible officers.
The 10-member panel, chaired by former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) Jonathan Kure, submitted its comprehensive report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
The investigation focused on the September 17, 2026 tragedy, where 37 suspected illegal miners died within the facility of the NSCDC Niger State Command in Minna.
According to the executive summary of the report, the panel established that the fatalities resulted entirely from environmental asphyxia (suffocation).
This fatal outcome was directly triggered by prolonged confinement inside a severely congested cell, coupled with extreme heat stress and severe dehydration.
The committee explicitly described the incident as an “entirely preventable” disaster born out of an absolute failure in the duty of care, inadequate supervision, and a total disregard for basic detention safety standards.
It further revealed a shocking breach of protocol, stating that the enforcement operation leading to the mass arrests was executed without any official operational order or approval from the NSCDC National Headquarters.
The report detailed severe indictments against the suspended Niger State Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, alongside four other key officials.
The panel accused the command leadership of authorizing unlawful detentions, failing to respond to desperate distress signals from the suffocating detainees, and subsequently attempting to physically alter the detention facility to hide the severity of the overcrowding before forensic investigators could inspect the site.
In a decisive move toward absolute accountability, the committee has recommended a ₦1.4 billion compensation package, allocating ₦30 million to each of the bereaved families and ₦10 million to each of the 41 survivors.
Receiving the report, Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo expressed profound grief and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s mandate that administrative suspension would not replace criminal liability.
The Minister vowed that any officer found guilty of contributing to the deaths or attempting to destroy evidence would face the full wrath of the law, assuring the public that the report will be forwarded immediately to the Attorney-General of the Federation for swift prosecution.
