An investigative panel set up by the Federal Government has found that 37 suspected illegal miners died from suffocation in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
The committee blamed the deaths on severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat stress, dehydration and failure by officers to provide adequate care for the detainees.
Jonathan Kure, chairman of the committee and a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, disclosed the findings on Tuesday while presenting the report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.
According to the committee, the deaths were preventable and resulted from serious failures in the handling and supervision of the detainees.
“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,” the report stated.
The panel said medical and forensic evidence did not support the initial suspicion that a disease outbreak caused the deaths.
Instead, it found that the victims suffered acute respiratory failure after prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell, worsened by excessive heat and dehydration.
“The evidence did not support claims that the death resulted from a disease outbreak,” the committee said.
The findings raise serious questions about the conditions in which the suspects were held and whether officers responded adequately to signs of distress before the deaths occurred.
The committee interviewed NSCDC officials, cell guards, medical personnel, survivors, bereaved families and community representatives. It also examined detention registers, communication records, hospital and mortuary documents, autopsy findings and burial records.
The report said 29 of the 41 survivors were interviewed, including nine minors, as the panel sought to reconstruct the events and establish responsibility.
The investigation further found that the operation leading to the arrests was conducted without an operational order or approval from the NSCDC national headquarters.
The suspects were arrested during enforcement operations against suspected illegal mining in parts of Minna, including the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas, on September 15 and 16, 2026.
They died two days later, on September 17, while being held by the NSCDC Niger State Command.
Following the incident, the Federal Government suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and 20 other officers pending the investigation.
The government had also directed the relevant authorities to cooperate with the probe and ensure that efforts to establish what happened were not obstructed.