FG panel recommends N1.4bn compensation, dismissal of NSCDC officers over miners’ deaths

A Federal Government investigative committee has recommended N1.4 billion in compensation for families and survivors of the Niger State miners’ custody tragedy, alongside the dismissal of responsible Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel.

According to Vanguard, committee chairman Jonathan Kure presented the findings to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Abuja on Tuesday.

The panel recommended N30 million for each of the 33 bereaved families and N10 million for each of the 41 survivors.

It described the deaths as “entirely preventable”, attributing them to suffocation caused by prolonged confinement in an overcrowded cell, worsened by heat and dehydration.

The committee also recommended the dismissal of officers directly responsible for the deaths and administrative sanctions against personnel who neglected their duties.

Additional recommendations included educational support for victims’ dependants, medical rehabilitation, psychological assistance and a formal government apology.

Investigators further discovered that the operation leading to the arrests lacked authorisation from NSCDC national headquarters.