Investigation says asphyxiation killed 37 miners in Nigerian custody
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
An independent Nigerian investigative committee has concluded that 37 people held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps died of asphyxiation. The committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, presented the findings to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja on Tuesday, according to Punch.
The Nigerian government’s independent investigative committee has concluded that the 37 alleged miners who died in custody in Niger State succumbed to asphyxiation. Its chairman, Jonathan Kure, a former deputy director-general of the State Security Service, presented the findings to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja on Tuesday, according to Punch.
The victims died on 17 September 2026 while being held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at its premises in Minna. They had been arrested during operations against alleged illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas.
The presentation of the report is a new stage in the investigation into the deaths, following accusations against the NSCDC published on 25 October in the investigation into Nigeria’s civil defence corps.
