Miners’ custody death: Probe panel recommends N1.4bn compensation

An independent ministerial panel investigating the deaths of 33 detainees in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, has recommended N1.4 billion in compensation for the families of the deceased and survivors, alongside the prosecution of officers found culpable in the incident.

The committee also recommended the removal of the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Abubakar Audi, and a comprehensive overhaul of the corps’ leadership and operations to address institutional failures that contributed to the deaths.

Presenting the committee’s report to the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday, its chairman, Jonathan Kure, said the 33 detainees, including 14 minors, died from environmental asphyxia resulting from severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat stress, and dehydration.

He described the incident, which occurred between September 16 and 17, 2026, as a preventable custodial tragedy caused by unlawful detention conditions, a failure in the duty of care, disregard for repeated distress calls, and inadequate supervision.

The committee’s findings contradicted earlier claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak, stating that medical and forensic evidence did not support such an explanation.

According to the report, the recommended compensation package comprises N30 million for each of the 33 bereaved families and N10 million for each of the 41 survivors, amounting to approximately N1.4 billion.

The Kure committee also recommended educational support for the dependants of the deceased, medical rehabilitation for survivors, psychological support for affected families, and a formal apology by the Federal Government.

The committee further called for the summary dismissal of officers found principally responsible for the tragedy and their prosecution for offences including murder, criminal negligence, torture, and inhuman treatment, where applicable.

It also recommended investigations by anti-corruption agencies into allegations of extortion and mismanagement of exhibits, as well as administrative sanctions against other officers whose lapses contributed to the incident.

The committee found that the operations were conducted without an approved operational order, proper planning, consultation with relevant mining authorities, or the involvement of specialised mining marshals, adding that the NSCDC national headquarters was also not informed before the operation commenced.

According to the committee, the raids led to the arrest of men, women, and children, and by the evening of September 16, 75 persons had been detained, with 74 remaining in custody overnight after one person was released.

The report noted that approximately 50 male detainees were confined in a cell measuring about 20 square metres, with inadequate ventilation, no running water, poor lighting, and no functioning toilet.

According to the report, food and drinking water were either unavailable or grossly inadequate, while adults and minors were held together in conditions the committee described as cruel, inhuman, and degrading.

Kure said the committee found that detainees began showing signs of distress shortly after 7 p.m. on September 16, repeatedly banging on the cell doors and walls, shouting for help, and pleading for water, noting that despite the warnings, officers failed to open the cell or arrange emergency medical intervention.

The panel confirmed 33 deaths and 41 survivors, six of whom were treated at the General Hospital, Minna, and subsequently discharged.

Kure disclosed that post-mortem examinations were conducted on only three bodies, while the remaining 30 had been buried before the committee’s medical team arrived, adding that in an alleged attempt to destroy evidence, the detention area had been cleaned, disinfected, and altered before independent forensic investigators arrived, limiting aspects of the forensic examination.

Although some survivors alleged that an aerosol substance had been sprayed into the cell before the deaths, the committee stated that toxicology reports and other available medical evidence did not support the allegation.

The report identified serious failures by officers responsible for authorising the operation, managing detention, responding to distress calls, and safeguarding the detainees.

The committee specifically faulted the Niger State Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, for authorising and supervising the operation without adequate planning and oversight, permitting overcrowding, and subsequently attributing the deaths to a disease outbreak.

Other officers were also indicted for facilitating unlawful detention, ignoring medical and legal concerns, failing to respond to distress calls, detaining minors, and allegedly interfering with the detention area before the forensic examination.

Beyond individual culpability, the committee identified inadequate detention facilities, weak custodial oversight, the absence of CCTV monitoring, poor documentation, insufficient emergency medical capacity, weak reporting systems, and chronic underfunding as institutional weaknesses requiring urgent attention.

The committee also called for comprehensive reforms covering recruitment, appointments, promotions, discipline, deployment, training, supervision, intelligence gathering, and reporting structures.

A member of the committee, lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, raised concerns over what he described as the omission of a portion of the report recommending action against the NSCDC Commandant-General.

Adeyanju, who said he had accepted membership of the committee on the condition that he would not collect any payment from the government, alleged that the recommendation concerning the corps’ leadership was contained in the main report but was missing from the executive summary presented by the chairman.

He called for the omitted portion to be restored, insisting that the recommendation for a comprehensive leadership overhaul should be explicit.

Adeyanju warned that he would speak publicly about the matter if the recommendation was not properly reflected in the report.

He later confirmed to newsmen that the critical aspect of the report was intact in the main report, but was not captured in the executive summary presented by the chairman of the committee to the Minister.

Responding, Tunji-Ojo assured the committee members and Nigerians that the government would act on the report, with administrative recommendations to be handled by the Ministry of Interior and judicial matters referred to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.

The minister said the report would be forwarded to the AGF for appropriate legal action, adding that the ministry would work with the NSCDC to implement the necessary institutional reforms.

He also directed that officers identified as having attempted to conceal or destroy evidence should be suspended immediately, pending further investigation and disciplinary action.

Tunji-Ojo said the government would not treat the incident as another routine investigation, stressing that accountability was necessary to protect vulnerable citizens and prevent a recurrence.

He disclosed that the committee was inaugurated five weeks earlier with an initial two-week deadline, which was extended to allow for a more thorough investigation.

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According to him, the Federal Government was committed to ensuring that those responsible were held accountable and that the families of the deceased received justice.

“The best gift we can give to the deceased is justice, and justice must be done,” the minister said.

He added that the administration would ensure that the reforms recommended by the committee were implemented, stressing that agencies established to protect Nigerians must not become a source of harm to the people they serve.

Tunji-Ojo also expressed the government’s condolences to the bereaved families and assured them that they would not be abandoned.

He said the lessons from the tragedy must be used to prevent similar incidents in the future.