NEWS
Niger NSCDC Cell Cleaned, Disinfected, Renumbered After Deaths of 33 Detainees — Deji Adeyanju Discloses, Reveals How Evidence Was Destroyed
…as Independent Panel Uncovers Alleged Evidence Tampering as Report Blames Overcrowding, Poor Ventilation and Negligence for Deaths of 33 Detainees, Including 14 Minors; Recommends Prosecution and ₦1.4bn Compensation
Human rights lawyer and member of the Independent Investigative Committee, Deji Adeyanju, has raised serious concerns over the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 33 detainees, including 14 minors, in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, alleging that the detention cell was cleaned, disinfected and renumbered before independent investigators could examine the facility.
Adeyanju disclosed the development in a post on his X account following the presentation of the committee’s investigative report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
The revelation has intensified concerns about possible attempts to compromise evidence and obstruct accountability in what the investigative panel described as a preventable custodial tragedy involving the deaths of dozens of detainees arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining in Niger State.
“NSCDC Cell was washed clean, disinfected, renumbered in attempt to destroy evidence after death of 33 miners,” Adeyanju wrote, sharing an update from the committee’s findings.
The allegation of evidence tampering emerged as the committee presented findings detailing what it described as severe overcrowding, unlawful detention conditions, disregard for repeated distress signals and failures by officers responsible for the welfare and supervision of the detainees.
The panel’s report dismissed suggestions that a disease outbreak caused the deaths, concluding instead that the victims died from environmental asphyxia resulting from a combination of overcrowding, poor ventilation, excessive heat and dehydration.
Presenting the report, the committee chairman and former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, said the incident resulted from serious institutional and operational failures that could have been prevented if the responsible officers had fulfilled their duties.
“The committee concluded that the incident was a preventable custodial tragedy caused by severe overcrowding, unlawful and unsuitable detention conditions, failure of duty of care, disregard of repeated distress warnings, inadequate supervision, and wider systemic deficiencies,” Kure said.
The committee was established following a directive by President Bola Tinubu to investigate the deaths of suspects arrested during security operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities in Niger State.
Although initial reports suggested that 37 detainees had died, the panel said its investigation authenticated 33 deaths and identified 41 survivors.
The victims were among individuals arrested during operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State. They died while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command in Minna between September 16 and September 17, 2026.
According to the findings, the detainees were held in a cell measuring approximately 20 square metres, where about 50 male detainees were confined under conditions the committee considered grossly inadequate and dangerous.
The detention facility reportedly lacked sufficient ventilation, running water, proper lighting and a functioning toilet. Access to food and drinking water was either unavailable or grossly inadequate, while adults and minors were held together without the necessary safeguards for children.
The panel concluded that the combination of extreme overcrowding, poor air circulation, rising temperatures and dehydration created a life-threatening environment in which the detainees struggled to survive.
The conditions, it said, violated constitutional safeguards, provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Child Rights Act, as well as internationally accepted standards governing the treatment of persons in custody
One of the most disturbing aspects of the report was the account of detainees repeatedly banging on the cell doors and walls, shouting for help and pleading for water as conditions inside the facility deteriorated overnight.
Despite the apparent distress, the officers responsible for the detainees allegedly failed to take the emergency measures required to prevent further loss of life.
“Despite clear evidence that conditions inside the cell had become life-threatening, officers responsible for detainee welfare failed to open the cell, to decongest the facility, or arrange emergency intervention,” Kure said.
The committee established that the deaths occurred between 8pm on September 16 and 7am on September 17, when the detention cell was eventually opened. The findings suggest that the tragedy unfolded over several hours during which urgent intervention could potentially have saved lives.
However, rather than simply documenting the deaths and preserving the facility for independent forensic examination, investigators reportedly discovered that the detention area had been cleaned, disinfected and altered before they arrived.
The panel also raised concerns over the unavailability of the detention register for September 16, a development that could complicate efforts to establish a complete record of the detainees and the events surrounding their deaths. The alleged alteration of the scene and the missing register have consequently become central concerns in the investigation, particularly as authorities seek to determine whether evidence was deliberately concealed or destroyed.
Reacting to the findings, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo directed the NSCDC Commandant-General to immediately suspend officers allegedly involved in cleaning the detention centre and potentially destroying evidence.
The minister stressed that the Federal Government would not allow the investigation to become another committee exercise designed merely to calm public anger without delivering justice to the victims and their families.
“The best gift we can give to the deceased is justice. And justice must be done,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He disclosed that the report would be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for further judicial action.
The Ministry of Interior would also review the report’s administrative recommendations and work with the NSCDC to implement institutional reforms aimed at preventing similar incidents.
Tunji-Ojo warned that officers implicated in the alleged concealment or destruction of evidence would face suspension pending investigations and disciplinary proceedings.
“It’s the era of setting up committees just to douse tension. It’s not now,” he said.
The minister’s position signals a commitment to moving beyond the submission of investigative reports to concrete legal and administrative action, although the allegations against individual officers will require appropriate investigation and determination through the relevant procedures.
The committee identified what it described as leadership failures and professional misconduct involving several officers, including the state commandant, the head of the investigation unit and personnel responsible for the welfare of detainees.
According to the report, the state commandant authorised and supervised the operation without adequate planning or oversight, permitted the detention facility to become overcrowded and subsequently attributed the deaths to a disease outbreak.
Other officers were accused of failing to respond to distress calls, maintaining unlawful detention conditions, holding minors without adequate protection and participating in the alteration of the detention area after the deaths. The committee recommended that officers found culpable should face prosecution for offences including murder, criminal negligence, torture and inhuman treatment, where applicable. It also called for further investigations into allegations of extortion and the mismanagement of exhibits connected to the operation.
The panel recommended the summary dismissal of the state commandant and officers found directly responsible for the deaths, alongside appropriate administrative sanctions for other personnel whose actions or failures contributed to the tragedy.
The recommendations, if implemented, could lead to significant changes in the handling of the case and the accountability mechanisms governing custodial operations within the NSCDC.
Beyond the question of criminal accountability, the committee recommended a compensation package intended to provide some measure of relief to the families of the deceased and the survivors of the incident.
The panel proposed ₦30 million for each of the 33 bereaved families and ₦10 million for each of the 41 survivors, bringing the total proposed compensation to approximately ₦1.4 billion.
It further recommended educational support for the dependants of those who died, medical rehabilitation for survivors, psychological support for affected families and a formal apology from the Federal Government.
The proposed measures recognise that the consequences of the tragedy extend beyond the immediate loss of life, affecting children, spouses, parents and other dependants who may have lost their primary sources of financial and emotional support.
For the 41 survivors, the recommended medical and psychological assistance is intended to address the potential long-term consequences of their detention and the conditions they endured.
However, the compensation proposals remain recommendations of the investigative committee and are subject to the relevant government processes and decisions.
Summarising its findings, the committee maintained that the deaths were not an unavoidable consequence of a medical emergency but the result of detention conditions and failures that responsible officers should have addressed.
“The committee concludes that the death of 33 detainees, including 14 minors, was entirely preventable,” Kure said.
The panel called for a comprehensive overhaul of the NSCDC’s leadership, operational procedures and custodial practices to ensure that those held in its facilities are protected in accordance with the law.
Among its recommendations were the provision of standard detention facilities, installation of closed-circuit television cameras in custodial areas, improved emergency medical response, stronger supervisory oversight and enhanced human rights training for officers.
The proposed reforms are intended to address the institutional weaknesses identified by the investigation, strengthen safeguards against abuse and ensure that warning signs of distress among detainees trigger immediate intervention.
The inclusion of 14 minors among the deceased has also heightened concerns about compliance with child-protection laws and the responsibility of security agencies to ensure that children in custody receive appropriate treatment and protection.
As the report moves to the Attorney-General’s office and the Ministry of Interior considers the administrative recommendations, attention will now focus on whether the implicated officers face prosecution, whether the proposed compensation is approved and whether the recommended reforms are implemented.
For the families of the 33 deceased detainees, the central demand remains accountability for the lives lost. The allegations surrounding the cleaning and alteration of the detention cell have added another critical dimension to the case: establishing not only how the detainees died, but also whether anyone attempted to compromise the evidence needed to secure justice.