FG names 10-member panel to probe deaths of 37 NSCDC detainees

The Federal Government has set up a 10-member panel to investigate the deaths of 37 people detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. According to the Ministry of Interior, the panel will establish the identities of the deceased, investigate their arrest, detention, and the cause and circumstances of their deaths.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has also suspended the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC and 20 other officers pending the conclusion of the investigation. The suspension follows reports that the detainees, described as suspected illegal gold miners, died in NSCDC custody on September 17, 2026.

Amnesty International's Country Director, Isa Sanusi, has raised concerns about the conditions in which the detainees were held, stating that the cell was designed for 10 people but held 67. He also alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the room, and that the detainees were subjected to intense heat. The panel is expected to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence, and misconduct, and recommend appropriate action and compensation.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.