37 miners di£d of suffocation in NSCDC custody — Investigative panel

37 miners died of suffocation in NSCDC custody — Investigative panel

The Federal Government’s Independent Investigative Committee probing the deaths of 37 persons in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State has found that the deceased died from asphyxiation.

The committee Chairman and former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, disclosed this on Tuesday while presenting the panel’s report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.

PUNCH Online reports that the finding marks a major development in the investigation into the deaths of the suspected illegal miners, who died on September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command in Minna.

The victims were among dozens of persons arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state.

More to come…