…as panel recommends N1.4bn compensation
The Federal Government’s Independent Investigative Committee probing the deaths of detainees in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has found that 33 persons, including 14 minors, died from asphyxiation caused by overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat stress and dehydration.
The committee described the deaths as a preventable custodial tragedy, attributing them to unlawful detention conditions, failure of duty of care, disregard for repeated distress calls, inadequate supervision and wider systemic deficiencies within the corps.
Jonathan Kure, Chairman of the 10-member committee and former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, disclosed the findings on Tuesday while presenting the panel’s report to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, in Abuja.
The committee was constituted following a directive by President Bola Tinubu to investigate the deaths of suspects arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining activities in Niger State.
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The victims died between September 16 and 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command in Minna.
They were among persons arrested during operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state.
Although initial reports put the death toll at 37, the committee said it authenticated 33 deaths and identified 41 survivors.
“The committee concluded that the incident was a preventable custodial tragedy caused by severe overcrowding, unlawful and unsuitable detention conditions, failure of duty of care, disregard of repeated distress warnings, inadequate supervision, and wider systemic deficiencies,” Kure said.
According to him, medical and forensic evidence showed that the victims suffered environmental asphyxia after prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell.
He added that the evidence did not support claims that a disease outbreak caused the deaths.
The findings placed the conditions in which the suspects were detained, as well as the failure of officers to respond to their distress, at the centre of the investigation.
The committee also identified lapses in the planning and supervision of the operation that led to the arrests, alongside concerns over the handling of the detention facility before independent forensic investigators arrived.
The committee established that NSCDC personnel conducted raids on September 15 and 16 without an approved operational order, adequate planning or consultation with relevant mining authorities.
The corps’ national headquarters was also not informed before the operation began.
Following the raids, approximately 50 male detainees were confined in a cell measuring about 20 square metres.
The committee found that the cell had inadequate ventilation, poor lighting, no running water and no functioning toilet.
Food and drinking water were either unavailable or grossly inadequate, while adults and minors were detained together.
Kure said the conditions violated constitutional safeguards, provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Child Rights Act, as well as accepted international standards.
“The detention conditions were found to be grossly inadequate and inconsistent with constitutional safeguards, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Child Rights Act, and accepted international standards,” he said.
The committee’s findings indicated that the combination of overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat stress and dehydration created dangerous conditions for the detainees during their confinement.
The panel also established that the situation inside the cell deteriorated overnight, with detainees repeatedly calling for help.
Witnesses told the committee that detainees banged on the cell doors and walls, shouted for assistance and pleaded for water as conditions worsened.
Despite these warnings, officers responsible for their welfare failed to open the cell, reduce the number of occupants or arrange emergency intervention.
“Despite clear evidence that conditions inside the cell had become life-threatening, officers responsible for detainee welfare failed to open the cell, to decongest the facility, or arrange emergency intervention,” Kure said.
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The deaths occurred between 8pm on September 16 and 7am on September 17, when the cell was eventually opened.
The committee said medical and forensic evidence did not support claims that a disease outbreak caused the deaths.
It also found no evidence to support allegations that an aerosol substance had been sprayed into the cell before the incident.
However, the panel identified concerns about the handling of the detention facility before independent forensic investigators arrived.
According to Kure, the detention area had been cleaned, disinfected and altered before the investigators gained access.
The detention register for September 16 was also unavailable.
Post-mortem examinations were conducted on three bodies, while the remaining 30 had been buried before the arrival of the committee’s medical team.
The panel documented these circumstances in its report alongside the medical evidence used to establish the cause of death.
The committee identified leadership failures and professional misconduct involving the state commandant, the head of the Investigation Unit and other personnel responsible for the welfare of detainees.
It accused the state commandant of authorising and supervising the operation without proper planning or oversight, allowing overcrowding and subsequently attributing the deaths to a disease outbreak.
Other officers were accused of failing to respond to distress calls, maintaining unlawful detention conditions, detaining minors without adequate protection and participating in the alteration of the detention area before independent forensic investigators arrived.
The committee recommended the prosecution of culpable officers for offences including murder, criminal negligence, torture and inhuman treatment, where applicable.
It also called for investigations into allegations of extortion and mismanagement of exhibits.
In addition to criminal proceedings, the panel recommended the summary dismissal of the state commandant and officers found directly responsible for the deaths.
Other personnel whose failures contributed to the incident should face appropriate administrative sanctions.
The recommendations followed the committee’s conclusion that the deaths resulted from a combination of inadequate detention conditions, failures in supervision and the disregard of warnings about the deteriorating situation inside the cell.
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The committee proposed N30m in compensation for each of the 33 bereaved families and N10m for each of the 41 survivors.
The proposed compensation package totals N1.4bn, comprising N990m for the families of the deceased and N410m for the survivors.
The panel also recommended educational support for dependants of the deceased, medical rehabilitation for survivors and psychological support for affected families.
It also called for a formal Federal Government apology.
“The committee concludes that the death of 33 detainees, including 14 minors, was entirely preventable,” Kure said.
The committee called for a comprehensive overhaul of the NSCDC’s leadership and operations following the findings.
Its recommendations include the provision of standard detention facilities, installation of closed-circuit television cameras in custodial areas, improved emergency medical response, stronger oversight and enhanced human rights training for personnel.
Tunji-Ojo promised that the Federal Government would implement its recommendations and ensure justice for the victims.
He directed the NSCDC Commandant-General to immediately suspend officers allegedly involved in cleaning the detention centre and potentially destroying evidence.
The directive followed the committee’s finding that the detention area had been cleaned, disinfected and altered before independent forensic investigators arrived.
“The best gift we can give to the deceased is justice. And justice must be done,” the minister said.
Tunji-Ojo said the report would be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for further judicial action.
He added that the Ministry of Interior would review the administrative recommendations and work with the corps on institutional reforms.
“It’s the era of setting up committees just to douse tension. It’s not now,” he said.
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The minister further stated that officers implicated in the concealment or destruction of evidence would face suspension pending investigations and disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, Deji Adeyanju, a member of the committee, initially raised concerns over what he described as the removal of a section of the report’s executive summary.
Adeyanju alleged that the section was present when the committee concluded its work but was missing from the version presented to the minister.
He called for its restoration and questioned whether references to the NSCDC Commandant-General had been removed.
However, speaking to journalists after the presentation, Adeyanju said he had reviewed the full report and confirmed that the section remained in the main document.
“I don’t want these people to die in vain,” he said.
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