An independent investigative committee has concluded that the 33 miners who died while in detention in Niger State lost their lives to acute respiratory failure caused by extreme heat and overcrowding.

The panel described the deaths as avoidable and the conditions of their detention as cruel and inhuman.

Presenting the report in Abuja on Tuesday, committee chairman Jonathan Kure said the male cell was overcrowded, poorly ventilated and lacked a functional toilet. Officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ignored repeated distress calls from the detainees, who banged on the cell door asking for water.

The committee verified that 33 bodies were taken dead to the hospital. It recommended ₦1.4 billion in compensation for the families of the deceased and 44 survivors.

The panel also found that one of the victims had been arrested over a debt issue and that 14 minors were detained alongside the miners.

It accused the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC of leadership failure and of issuing a false public statement that attributed the deaths to a disease outbreak.

The panel recommended the summary dismissal of the commandant and all officers directly involved in the incident.

Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo received the report and promised to implement its recommendations. He also directed the immediate suspension of officers who cleaned the detention centre in what the committee described as an attempt to destroy evidence.