By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A ten-member independent committee set up by the federal government to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger state, has identified the cause of their deaths.

The committee found that the miners died from asphyxiation, a condition in which the body is deprived of adequate oxygen, potentially leading to unconsciousness, organ damage or death.

Jonathan Kure, chairman of the committee, spoke on Tuesday while presenting the panel’s report to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, in Abuja.

The federal government constituted the committee on September 19 following a directive by President Bola Tinubu for a “full and transparent” investigation into the deaths of the suspected illegal miners.

Tunji-Ojo announced the decision in a statement in which he listed the names of the 21 officers suspended in connection with the incident.

Two days before the committee was constituted, the NSCDC said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger state capital.

In a statement, Suberu Aniviye, the NSCDC commandant in Niger state, said “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.

Following the development, the federal government suspended the Niger state NSCDC commandant and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

However, on October 6, the panel requested a two-week extension to submit its report on the matter.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Kure said the panel travelled to Minna and inspected the custody facility, conducted autopsies, took witness statements from NSCDC personnel, survivors, families and other witnesses, and collected documentary and forensic evidence.

He noted that preliminary findings showed institutional gaps and overzealousness on the part of some officers, adding that greater professionalism was required in handling such sensitive cases.

The committee also recommended N1.4 billion Naira compensation for deceased families and survivors.

The 10-man investigative committee proposed the sum while presenting the report to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on Tuesday in Abuja.Track Exec Orders

The committee’s Chairman, retired Deputy Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Jonathan Kure said that the committee proposed N30 million naira for each of the 33 bereaved families.

Kure added that the committee also proposed that N10 million naira be given to each of the 41 survivors, alongside educational, medical and psychological support.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Dangote Group for its significant contribution to Nigeria’s economic growth, citing the conglomerate’s strategic investments in key sectors as instrumental in boosting domestic production, creating jobs, reducing dependence on imports, conserving foreign exchange and strengthening the country’s industrial capacity.

The President gave the commendation during a visit to the Dangote Group pavilion at the ongoing 32nd Nigeria Economic Summit at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on Monday. He was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Tinubu praised the Group’s performance across its business operations, highlighting the critical role of private-sector investments in expanding productive capacity, stimulating economic activities and supporting national development.

The Dangote Group has investments spanning cement manufacturing, fertiliser production, sugar refining, salt processing and petroleum refining.

These investments contribute to local value addition, employment generation and the development of domestic supply chains, while supporting efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported products.

He said his administration is creating conditions for public and private sectors to invest, expand and generate productive employment.

Dangote Group is the second biggest employer of labour after the federal government.

The 2026 Nigeria Economic Summit, themed “Growth That Works: Delivering Jobs, Productivity and Shared Prosperity,” was declared open by the President, who used the occasion to defend the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms and emphasise the importance of industrial harmony and private-sector-led growth.

The summit brings together policymakers, business leaders, investors and other stakeholders to discuss practical strategies for accelerating economic growth, improving productivity, generating employment and ensuring that the benefits of economic expansion reach more Nigerians.

The President’s commendation underscores the importance of sustained collaboration between government and the private sector in building a more productive, competitive and resilient Nigerian economy.

He said Nigeria has performed below its potentials for far too long, but “there is no shortcut for economic development.”

We came to rewrite the story of a nation that has performed below its potentials for far too long,” he said.

Through its investments in strategic industries, the Dangote Group remains a major private-sector participant in Nigeria’s industrialisation drive, with the potential to deepen local manufacturing, strengthen supply chains and support the country’s broader economic development objectives.

Through the Dangote Group’s diversified operations, the conglomerate has established a substantial presence across critical sectors of the economy, providing products and services that support construction, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and other productive activities.

One of its investments is the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals complex in Lagos, which has the potential to transform Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry by increasing domestic refining capacity and reducing the country’s reliance on imported refined petroleum products.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State in his ongoing trial over alleged unlawful interception of the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a ruling, held that the State Security Service, SSS, had placed before the court sufficient evidence to warrant the court to call on the ex-governor to enter his defence if he so desires.

The judge, therefore, ordered El-Rufai, the sole defendant in the charge, to enter his defence.

The defendant had opted for a no-case submission after the SSS closed its case by calling two witnesses.

Mr El-Rufai, through his counsel, Akinyemi Aremu, had urged the court to hold that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring the former governor to enter a defence.

In response, the SSS lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, adopted their counter affidavit in opposition to the no-case submission.

Mr Aladedoye argued that the defence failed to address Exhibit “B”, which the prosecution said contained El-Rufai’s alleged admission concerning the tapping of Ribadu’s phone.

He submitted that since the prosecution had established a prima facie case against El-Rufai, the defendant was required by law to enter his defence.