Nigeria: 1.4 billion naira recommended after 37 miners’ deaths
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Pmnewsnigeria
A Nigerian federal inquiry recommends 1.4 billion naira in compensation for the families of 33 minors who died in detention and 44 survivors. Presented to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja, its report also recommends the dismissal of civil defence officers and reforms, Pmnewsnigeria reports.
A Nigerian government inquiry has recommended the payment of 1.4 billion naira to the families of 33 minors who died in detention and to 44 survivors. It concluded that the 37 minors who died at the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) premises in Minna, Niger State, suffocated, according to its report presented on Tuesday in Abuja.
The inquiry described the deaths as preventable and said the detainees, including 14 minors, had been held in inhumane conditions. It also recommended the dismissal of the NSCDC commander in Niger State and other officers involved in the detention. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo promised that the government would implement the recommendations.
The minister also ordered the immediate suspension of officers suspected of having cleaned the detention centre to destroy evidence, according to the report. The 37 minors died on 17 September 2026, after operations against illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas.
These recommendations extend the investigation into the deaths of the detainees, following findings that they suffocated and allegations of misconduct against five NSCDC officers, reported on 27 October in articles on the causes of the deaths and the officers implicated.
