Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju has accepted an invitation to serve on the Federal Government’s ten-member independent committee investigating the deaths of thirty-seven suspected illegal miners in Niger State, but declared he will reject any payment for his participation and personally bear the cost of his accommodation and transportation.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Saturday, Adeyanju said he was joining the committee solely to protect the interests of the victims and ensure the truth was established. “I am joining the committee solely to protect the interests of the victims and ensure that the truth is established,” he said. He urged the government not to make any monetary provision, stipend or honorarium available to members of the committee, describing the assignment as a national duty. “I will not accept any such payment, and I will not participate in or tolerate any attempt to compromise the investigation or cover up wrongdoing,” he said. He added that he would personally bear the cost of his hotel accommodation, transportation and other expenses incurred during the assignment.
Adeyanju also issued a direct warning against any attempt to shield those responsible for the deaths. “If there is any attempt to shield those responsible or suppress the truth, I will expose it. The victims deserve justice, and the Nigerian factor as we know it must not be allowed to prevail,” he said. His decision to join the panel follows his earlier condemnation of the incident as a “crime against humanity” and his call for the swift prosecution of anyone found responsible. In a statement issued on Friday, Adeyanju rejected the NSCDC’s initial claim that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak, demanding a thorough investigation and accountability.
The committee is chaired by Mr. Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, serves as Secretary. Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and the Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; Mrs. Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and Dr. George Agbakahi, a public affairs analyst. The committee is expected to establish the identities of the deceased and investigate the circumstances surrounding their arrests and detention, as well as determine the cause of their deaths. It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable. The panel has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The deaths occurred in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, 2026, after the detainees were arrested during enforcement operations conducted by the NSCDC Niger State Command in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16. The operations targeted suspected illegal mining activities. The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak and said the bodies had been taken to the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to establish the actual cause. The cause of death has not been confirmed. Survivors have offered harrowing accounts that contradict the disease outbreak explanation, with one telling the Associated Press that about sixty-five detainees were packed into a small, airless room, suggesting the dead may have suffocated. The accounts have not been independently verified, and the investigation now underway is expected to establish the facts.
The tragedy triggered protests in Minna, prompting Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to impose a 24-hour curfew. The Governor declared three days of mourning and questioned the number of miners arrested, saying his office and that of Homeland Security were not informed before the NSCDC operation. He said sixty-seven artisanal miners had been held in a cell before thirty-seven died. The state government also constituted its own committee of inquiry into the deaths. In a related development, the Minister of Interior ordered the suspension of twenty NSCDC officers, including the Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending the outcome of the investigation. The suspended personnel include officers involved in arrest, investigation, legal and custodial duties. Tunji-Ojo described the deaths as deeply disturbing, saying the government owed the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of what transpired. He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.
The deaths have drawn reactions from across Nigeria’s political spectrum. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation, saying no Nigerian should enter government custody and lose the right to life. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, also demanded an urgent and transparent investigation. Amnesty International Nigeria demanded an immediate probe, while the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project urged United Nations Special Rapporteurs to intervene. Parents of the deceased miners have demanded compensation, saying it would serve as a deterrent against abuse of power.
For Adeyanju, the decision to join the committee represents a calculated risk. As a prominent critic of the government, his participation in a panel constituted by the same administration he has often criticised will invite scrutiny from both sides. His insistence on serving without payment and his public warning against cover-ups appear designed to pre-empt any suggestion that he has been co-opted. Whether the investigation delivers the accountability he has demanded will determine whether his decision is vindicated. The committee has two weeks to complete its work, and the families of the thirty-seven deceased are waiting for answers.
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