FG Suspends 20 NSCDC Officers, Sets Up Panel Over 37 Deaths In Custody Meta Title: FG Suspends 20 NSCDC Officers Over 37 Deaths In Custody

The Federal Government has suspended 20 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), including the Niger State Commandant, over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, announced the suspension on Saturday while constituting a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident. The action followed a directive by President Bola Tinubu for a comprehensive investigation into the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

The committee is expected to establish the identities of the deceased and investigate the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, as well as determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths.  It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, and recommend appropriate action, compensation where applicable, and measures to prevent a recurrence.

Tunji Ojo directed the NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate with the investigation and preserve all records and material evidence connected to the incident. He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.

The committee is chaired by retired Department of State Services Deputy Director General, Jonathan Kure, while former Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, serves as secretary. Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma, Prof. Olayinka Buhari, representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria Liman Sulaiman, lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, Blueprint journalist Zainab Suleiman Okino and public affairs analyst George Agbakahi.

The committee may co-opt relevant experts, access necessary facilities and documents, visit locations connected to the incident and receive memoranda from members of the public. It has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.

The 20 other NSCDC officers suspended include personnel involved in station guard, arrest, investigation, intelligence, legal and guard duties. The Niger State Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, was suspended separately.

The government has not announced a final cause of death for the 37 detainees, with the independent investigation expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.