Panel Reveals Cause Of Niger Miners Death

An independent investigative committee has disclosed that thirty-three miners who tragically died while in detention in Niger State succumbed to acute respiratory failure, exacerbated by severe overcrowding and extreme heat inside the holding facility.

Presenting its findings in Abuja on Tuesday, the probe panel chaired by Jonathan Kure described the tragic incident as entirely avoidable, condemning the detention conditions as cruel, inhuman, and degrading.

According to the committee report, the male detention cell was severely congested, lacked adequate ventilation, and was devoid of basic functional sanitation facilities.

Furthermore, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) allegedly ignored desperate distress calls and banging on cell doors from detainees pleading for water.

The panel confirmed that 33 bodies were transported dead to the hospital, while formally recommending ₦1.4 billion in financial compensation for the families of the deceased victims as well as the 44 documented survivors.

The investigative body directly indicted the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC for gross leadership failure, accusing the commander of authoring and releasing a misleading public statement that falsely blamed the deaths on a sudden disease outbreak.

Consequently, the panel recommended the immediate summary dismissal of the state commandant alongside all officers directly implicated in the unlawful detention and subsequent deaths of the miners.

The report also revealed alarming operational violations, noting that at least 14 minors were illegally incarcerated alongside the adult miners, with one victim having been detained strictly over a civil debt dispute.

Receiving the report, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, assured the public of swift implementation of the panel’s recommendations to deliver full justice to the grieving families.

In addition, Minister Tunji-Ojo ordered the immediate suspension of all NSCDC officers accused of tampering with the crime scene by sanitizing and washing down the detention facility in an alleged bid to destroy vital evidence.