At least 37 suspected illegal miners, including minors, have died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, prompting separate investigations by the federal and state governments as well as the police.<\/p>\n
The victims were among scores of people arrested during NSCDC operations against suspected illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Minna on September 15 and 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, confirmed that 37 detainees had died and said the state government had constituted a committee of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. The government has also ordered forensic examinations and autopsies to establish the cause of death.<\/p>\n
The federal government, meanwhile, suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending the outcome of an investigation. The suspension was announced by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo following the deaths.<\/p>\n
The NSCDC Niger State Command said the detainees were found dead in the early hours of September 17, shortly after the anti-illegal-mining operations.<\/p>\n
In an initial statement, Aniviye said the deaths followed a\u00a0suspected outbreak of disease, but he did not identify the disease or provide a confirmed medical explanation.<\/p>\n
The NSCDC national headquarters has since stressed that the cause of death has\u00a0not been established, saying any claim linking the deaths to a particular disease remains subject to medical and laboratory confirmation.<\/p>\n
The bodies were taken to the General Hospital in Minna for medical examination and autopsy.<\/p>\n
Survivor Alleges Overcrowding and Extreme Heat<\/strong><\/p>\n A surviving detainee, Dauda Shehu, told reporters from his hospital bed that the detainees had been held in severely overcrowded conditions.<\/p>\n Shehu alleged that about 66 people were kept in one cell and said detainees repeatedly complained about excessive heat and inadequate access to water.<\/p>\n He also alleged that some detainees became critically ill during the night and that other detainees died the following morning.<\/p>\n His account has not been independently established as the cause of the deaths. The NSCDC investigation is expected to examine the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, the conditions under which they were detained and the medical care provided to them.<\/p>\n The deaths have generated anger among relatives and residents of Minna, with family members gathering at the General Hospital to identify and claim the bodies.<\/p>\n Some relatives alleged that the detainees had been detained under harsh conditions and raised questions about the circumstances surrounding their arrests and detention.<\/p>\n One of the reported victims was a 17-year-old detainee, according to relatives and rights groups. Amnesty International has called for an independent, prompt and transparent investigation into the deaths, including the circumstances of the arrests and the conditions in which the suspects were held.<\/p>\n Protests Erupt in Minna<\/strong><\/p>\n The incident triggered protests in parts of Minna, with residents and relatives of the deceased taking to the streets to demand answers.<\/p>\n Protests broke out following the deaths, while AP reported that police fired tear gas at protesters who gathered outside an NSCDC facility on Friday. Authorities subsequently appealed for calm as investigations continued.<\/p>\n Police Launch Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n The Niger State Police Command has also opened an investigation into the deaths.<\/p>\n The Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna to take charge of the investigation.<\/p>\n Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun appealed to relatives and members of the public with credible information to assist investigators and urged residents to remain calm.<\/p>\n NSCDC Constitutes Investigative Team<\/strong><\/p>\n At the national level, NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Abubakar Audi directed the immediate establishment of a high-powered investigative team led by the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation.<\/p>\n According to NSCDC spokesman Babawale Afolabi, the team will examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including:<\/p>\n \u2022 The condition of\u00a0the suspects when\u00a0they were arrested;<\/p>\n \u2022 The period they\u00a0spent in custody;<\/p>\n \u2022 Conditions at the\u00a0detention facility;<\/p>\n \u2022 Medical attention provided\u00a0to the detainees; and<\/p>\n \u2022 Other circumstances surrounding\u00a0the incident.<\/p>\n The Corps said\u00a0it would not\u00a0speculate on the\u00a0cause of death\u00a0until medical and\u00a0laboratory examinations\u00a0are completed.<\/p>\n Cause of Death\u00a0Yet to Be\u00a0Established<\/strong><\/p>\n Although the Niger State NSCDC command initially referred to a suspected disease outbreak, authorities have not established that a disease caused the deaths.<\/p>\n The state government\u00a0has ordered autopsies\u00a0and forensic examinations, while the NSCDC\u00a0and police are\u00a0 conducting separate investigations.<\/p>\n Until the medical\u00a0examinations and investigations\u00a0are concluded, allegations\u00a0that the detainees\u00a0died from disease, suffocation, excessive\u00a0heat or other\u00a0causes remain unconfirmed.<\/p>\n The deaths have\u00a0nevertheless raised serious\u00a0questions about the\u00a0treatment and conditions\u00a0of detainees in\u00a0NSCDC custody, particularly\u00a0given the number\u00a0of fatalities within\u00a0a short period. The outcome of\u00a0the investigations is\u00a0expected to determine\u00a0 the circumstances that\u00a0led to the\u00a0deaths and whether\u00a0any individuals or\u00a0institutions bear responsibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At least 37 suspected illegal miners, including minors, have died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, prompting separate investigations by the federal and state governments as well as the police. The victims were among scores of people arrested during NSCDC operations against suspected illegal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":100288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5781],"tags":[3913,7281,1894,2947,234],"class_list":["post-100290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-obituary","tag-investigation","tag-miners","tag-minna","tag-nscdc","tag-police"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100290"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100291,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100290\/revisions\/100291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}