The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State over suspected illegal mining.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the committee on Saturday following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.

The cause of the deaths remains unclear, with authorities ordering investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

According to a statement signed by the minister, the committee will establish the identities of the deceased and investigate their arrest, detention and the cause and circumstances of their deaths.

It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct, and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable and measures to prevent a recurrence.

“Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence,” the minister said.

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

Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.

The committee may also co-opt relevant experts, access facilities and documents, visit relevant locations 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.

Tunji-Ojo expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation is ongoing.