FG panel confirms suffocation caused deaths of 37 miners in NSCDC custody

A Federal Government investigative panel has revealed that 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, lost their lives due to suffocation.

According to TheCable, the findings were disclosed on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, by a 10-member independent committee established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, presented the investigative report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.

Kure explained that the victims died from asphyxiation, a condition caused by insufficient oxygen supply to the body.

The condition can result in unconsciousness, severe organ damage and death when the body is deprived of adequate oxygen.

The findings establish the medical cause of death among the 37 detainees, whose deaths occurred while they were in NSCDC custody.

However, further details concerning the circumstances leading to the suffocation and possible responsibility have not yet been disclosed.