By Asaye Bankole
The Federal Government has constituted an independent 10-member panel 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 panel was inaugurated in Abuja on Tuesday by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a full investigation into the incident.
The detainees died on September 17, 2026, while being held by the NSCDC Niger State Command. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the deaths.
The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine what led to the deaths of the detainees.
The panel will be headed by retired Department of State Services Deputy Director-General, Jonathan Kure, while former Nigerian Law School Director-General, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, will serve as secretary.
Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof. Olayinka Buhari, a Histopathology professor and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and the Niger State Government; and National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Liman Sulaiman.
Also serving on the panel are human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, Blueprint Newspaper journalist Zainab Suleiman Okino and public affairs analyst Dr George Agbakahi.
Tunji-Ojo said the Federal Government was committed to establishing the facts surrounding the incident.
He expressed sympathy to the families of those who died and urged the public to remain calm while the investigation is underway.
The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the Federal Government after completing its investigation.
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