Miners’ deaths: Panel recommends summary dismissal, prosecution of NSCDC officers, N1.4bn for victims.
•Says overcrowding, heat stress, dehydration caused deaths •Rules out use of chemicals; as FG vows justice By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA—An independent ministerial committee has recommended summary dismissal, administrative sanctions and prosecution of some officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, over the deaths of 33 detainees in the custody of its Niger State command in Minna, along with N1.4 billion in compensation for victims and survivors.
The committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, who presented the report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja, yesterday, described the deaths as “entirely preventable.” Kure said 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 evidence did not support claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak.
According to him, “available medical and forensic evidence instead 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 65-page report, of which 46 pages form the main body, examined the arrest, detention, treatment and deaths of detainees between September 15 and 17, 2026. It was commissioned by the minister, following a presidential directive. The committee said the tragedy stemmed from enforcement operations against suspected illegal mining in and around Minna. No headquarter’s approval Kure said: “The operation was undertaken without an approved operational order, proper planning and consultation with relevant mining authorities, or involvement of the specialised Mining Marshals unit.
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