Panel seeks two more weeks for inquiry into 37 Niger custody deaths

The federal committee investigating the deaths of 37 people in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State, has requested two more weeks to complete its report, citing outstanding forensic results and the volume of evidence gathered.

The panel was due to submit its findings on October 7. Its chairman, Jonathan Kure, said on Tuesday in Abuja that it needed more time to review testimonies and documents and receive forensic and pathology reports required to establish the causes of death.

Daily Post reported that the committee was seeking an extension until October 21, 2026. Punch reported separately that Kure said the Federal Government had approved the two-week request.

Kure said the panel had inspected the custody facility in Minna, conducted autopsies and taken statements from NSCDC personnel, survivors, bereaved families and other witnesses. Documentary and forensic evidence had also been collected.

He said preliminary findings pointed to institutional lapses and overzealousness by some officers. Those comments were the committee chairman’s preliminary assessment, not its final conclusions about responsibility or the causes of death.

The inquiry was constituted by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, chairs the panel. NaijaTrend reported the start of its sittings here.

Punch quoted Kure as saying the additional time would allow the committee to review the evidence while giving people implicated in the incident an opportunity to respond. He said this included suspended officers and was necessary before the panel reached its conclusions.

Sources: Punch, Daily Post