Panel submits report, says 37 miners died of extreme heat, suffocation in NSCDC cell

The ten-member independent committee set up by the federal government to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger state, has submitted its report on the incident.

The panel which submitted its report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja during a media conference on Tuesday said that the miners died from asphyxiation, a condition in which the body is deprived of adequate oxygen, potentially leading to unconsciousness, organ damage or death.

Jonathan Kure, chairman of the committee, while speaking at the event, said the panel travelled to Minna and inspected the custody facility, conducted autopsies, took witness statements from NSCDC personnel, survivors, families and other witnesses, and collected documentary and forensic evidence.

He noted that preliminary findings showed institutional gaps and overzealousness on the part of some officers, adding that greater professionalism was required in handling such sensitive cases.

The committee further said that the operation which led to the arrest of the suspects was without an operational order or approval from the national headquarters of the NSCDC.

The federal government had constituted the committee on September 19 following a directive by President Bola Tinubu for a “full and transparent” investigation into the deaths of the suspected illegal miners.

Following the development, the federal government suspended the Niger State NSCDC commandant and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Tunji-Ojo announced the decision in a statement in which he listed the names of the 21 officers suspended in connection with the incident.

Two days before the committee was constituted, the NSCDC said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger State capital.

In a statement, Suberu Aniviye, the NSCDC commandant in Niger State, said “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.

However, on October 6, the panel requested a two-week extension to submit its report on the matter.

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