The independent investigative committee set up by the Federal Government to probe the deaths of detainees in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State has recommended the prosecution of officers found responsible, alongside the payment of N1.4bn in compensation to bereaved families and survivors.
The committee also recommended the summary dismissal of officers found principally responsible for the deaths, which it attributed to severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, dehydration and the failure of personnel to respond to repeated distress calls from detainees.
Presenting the committee’s findings to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday, the chairman of the panel, Jonathan Kure, said the incident, which occurred between September 16 and 17, 2026, was a preventable custodial tragedy.
“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,” he said.
The 10-member committee was constituted following a directive by President Bola Tinubu to investigate the deaths of detainees arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining activities in Niger State. Although initial reports put the death toll at 37, the committee said it authenticated 33 deaths and identified 41 survivors. It also established that 14 of the deceased were minors.
According to the chairman, medical and forensic evidence indicated that the deaths resulted from environmental asphyxia, an acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell, aggravated by heat stress and dehydration.
“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 evidence did not support claims that the death resulted from a disease outbreak.
“Available medical and forensic evidence indicated that the fatalities resulted from an environmental asphyxia, an acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated detention cell aggravated by heat stress and dehydration. The evidence did not support claims that the death resulted from a disease outbreak,” he said.
The committee said its investigation involved interviews with NSCDC leadership, operational personnel, cell guards, medical staff, survivors, bereaved families and other witnesses, as well as a review of detention registers, communication records, hospital records, autopsy findings and burial records.
It established that NSCDC personnel conducted raids on September 15 and 16 following complaints about mining activities around the Miwishishi axis.
However, the committee said the operation was conducted without an approved operational order, proper planning or consultation with relevant mining authorities, while the NSCDC national headquarters was not informed before it commenced.
The committee chairman said approximately 50 male detainees were confined in a cell measuring about 20 square metres, which had inadequate ventilation, no running water, poor lighting and no functioning toilet.
It added that food and drinking water were either unavailable or grossly inadequate, while adults and minors were detained together.
