The Independent Investigating Committee on the tragic deaths of 33 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has indicted the agency for negligence and rights abuse.

Presenting the report yesterday in Abuja, the committee chairman, Mr Jonathan Kure-Emeni, said the panel “found extensive failures of leadership,” adding that the NSCDC State Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, “authorised and supervised the operation without adequate planning, approval or oversight.”

He also “permitted overcrowding, failed to ensure lawful detention practices, and later issued a false public statement attributing the deaths to a disease outbreak. The committee concluded that his actions reflected gross leadership failure, abuse of authority and serious professional misconduct.”

Among others, the committee also identified the Head of the Investigation Unit, CSC Oluwadare Sunday, as contributing to the failures by facilitating unlawful detention practices, disregarding legal and medical concerns, and failing to intervene despite knowing that conditions in the detention facility were deteriorating.

The former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services disclosed that forensic evidence completely dismissed claims of a disease outbreak, pointing instead to environmental asphyxia and acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded, poorly ventilated cell, worsened by extreme heat and dehydration.

The panel further disclosed that the command raided mining sites on September 15 and 16, 2026, without an approved operational order, proper planning, or consultation with relevant mining authorities.

It added that by the evening of September 16, about 50 male detainees, comprising both adults and minors, were crammed overnight into a 20-square-metre cell lacking running water, ventilation, proper lighting, or a functioning toilet.

According to the report, detainees banged on doors and pleaded for water from shortly after 7:00 pm. Still, the officers ignored their distress signals and medical warnings regarding suffocation, with the deaths occurring between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am the following day.

Meanwhile, the committee said it verified 33 deaths and 41 survivors, noting that some officers attempted to conceal evidence by cleaning the detention area and altering the scene before investigators arrived.

Consequently, the panel indicted the state commandant and four other officers for gross leadership failure, unlawful detention, and professional misconduct, and recommended their summary dismissal and prosecution.

It also proposed N30 million in compensation for each bereaved family and N10 million for each survivor, totalling N1.4 billion, along with a total overhaul of NSCDC leadership.

Beyond the conduct of the individual officers, the committee identified broader institutional shortcomings within the NSCDC, including inadequate detention facilities.

Weak custodial oversight, absence of closed-circuit television monitoring, poor record-keeping and insufficient emergency medical capacity, among others.

Meanwhile, the committee said the investigation also faced challenges that limited aspects of the forensic assessment, including the unavailability of the detention register for September 16, 2026, while 30 of the 33 deceased persons had been buried before post-mortem examinations could be conducted.

Reacting to the report, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, called for the immediate suspension of the indicted officers, assuring that the full report would be forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation for immediate prosecution of the indicted officers and commencement of institutional reforms.