Nigeria: Niger Miners' Deaths - Govt Panel Says 37 Suspects Died From Suffocation

What the report says

A federal government panel in Nigeria has concluded that 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State died from asphyxiation, or lack of adequate oxygen. According to Premium Times, the committee presented its report in Abuja on Tuesday to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo after carrying out autopsies, forensic work and interviews with officers, survivors, relatives and other witnesses.

The deaths occurred after arrests made on 15 and 16 September around the Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger State capital. The panel was set up after President Bola Tinubu ordered a full investigation into the incident, which triggered public outrage and calls for accountability. The government also suspended the Niger State NSCDC commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and 20 other officers linked to the case.

Jonathan Kure, who chaired the 10-member independent committee, said the review also pointed to institutional weaknesses and excessive conduct by some officers, underscoring the need for better professionalism in handling suspects in custody. The report cited by TheCable did not provide details on any individual responsibility, disciplinary steps or prosecutions. The findings offer the first official explanation for the deaths, though the government has not yet publicly set out its next actions.