FG inaugurates 10-member committee to probe deaths of 37 miners in NSCDC custody

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo inaugurated the committee in Abuja following a directive from President Bola Tinubu for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services Jonathan Kure, while former Nigerian Law School Director-General Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, will serve as secretary.

Other members include retired senior police officer Hosea Hassan Karma, medical expert Prof. Olayinka Buhari, representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government, Miners Association of Nigeria National Secretary Liman Sulaiman, lawyer Deji Adeyanju, journalist Zainab Suleiman Okino and public affairs analyst George Agbakahi.

The 37 detainees died on September 17 while being held by the Niger State Command of the NSCDC following arrests connected to suspected illegal mining.

Authorities have not yet established the cause of the deaths.

Tunji-Ojo said the committee has two weeks to investigate the circumstances and submit its findings.

The Federal Government has said the probe is intended to establish what happened and determine any responsibility arising from the incident