The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday in Abuja following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, will serve as secretary.
Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof Olayinka Buhari, a professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; and representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government.
The committee also includes Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Blueprint Newspaper journalist, Zainab Suleiman Okino; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command. The cause of the deaths has not been established, with authorities directing the committee to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Tunji-Ojo expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation continues. He said the committee has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report.
The minister said the Niger State NSCDC Commander and all officers on duty between September 15 and 17 had been suspended as part of the measures taken following the President’s directive.
He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence and dealt with according to the law.
