Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The suspects were arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 15 and 16, 2026, during coordinated enforcement operations conducted by the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto axis, part of the Corps' ongoing crackdown on illegal mining. The operations yielded significant results: scores of suspected illegal miners were arrested and various exhibits recovered. The suspects were detained at an NSCDC facility in Minna. They were alive when they were taken into custody. By the early hours of Thursday, September 17, 2026, 33 of them were dead.
The Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, confirmed the deaths in a statement on Thursday, attributing them to a suspected outbreak of disease. "In the early hours of 17th September, 2026, scores of the detained suspects were found dead, following a suspected outbreak of disease," Aniviye said. He did not specify the nature of the disease. The corpses of the deceased were deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for further medical examination to establish the actual cause of death. A source at the hospital told PUNCH Online that the deceased were 33 in number and that they were suspected to have died from diphtheria. The NSCDC has not confirmed the figure, saying only that "scores" of detained suspects were found dead. The Associated Press, citing NSCDC spokesman Abubakar Muti, reported the death toll as at least 33, while other reports, including from The Cable, put the figure at 37, with the state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, cited as confirming that 37 detainees died.
The discrepancy in the figures has done little to quell the anxiety of relatives and residents. Residents of M.I. Wushishi and Mekunkle, believed to be relatives of some of the suspects, protested on Thursday after news of the deaths spread. The NSCDC Commandant appealed to the families of the deceased and members of the public to remain calm and avoid actions that could lead to a breakdown of law and order. He said the NSCDC was working with sister security agencies to manage the situation and reaffirmed the Corps' commitment to enforcing human rights standards and international human rights charters while carrying out its mandate of protecting lives and property as well as critical national assets and infrastructure.
The National Headquarters of the NSCDC has ordered a high-powered probe into the deaths. The Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, directed the immediate constitution of an investigative team, headed by the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation, to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths. In a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer, ACC Babawale Afolabi, the Corps said the committee would examine the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, the period they spent in custody, the conditions under which they were detained, the medical attention provided and other circumstances surrounding the incident. "The team has been mandated to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances leading to the deaths, including the condition of the suspects upon arrest, their period in custody, the conditions of detention, medical attention provided, and other relevant circumstances surrounding the incident," the statement said.
The Corps also cautioned against drawing conclusions about the cause of the deaths before the medical findings are released. "The NSCDC wishes to clarify that reports attributing the deaths to any specific disease remain subject to medical and laboratory confirmation," the statement said. "The Corps will therefore refrain from speculation until the outcome of the medical examination is established." The Commandant General directed that the health and welfare of all persons still in custody be given utmost priority, while measures are taken to protect personnel who may have had contact with the affected suspects. The NSCDC expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and assured them that the circumstances surrounding the incident would be thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed based on established facts.
The police in Niger State said they have launched an investigation and urged relatives of the victims to come forward with any information that could help. The state government has not issued a separate statement on the incident, and the governor's office has not publicly commented on the reported figure of 37 deaths. The bodies of the deceased remain at the General Hospital, Minna, pending the outcome of the medical examination. The results of that examination will determine what happens next: whether the deaths are attributed to a disease outbreak, negligence, or some other cause, and whether anyone will be held accountable for the 33 or 37 men who went into NSCDC custody and did not come out alive.
Illegal mining remains a persistent challenge in Nigeria. Analysts have linked illegal mining activities in Nigeria's north-central and northwest regions to armed gangs involved in kidnappings for ransom, claiming groups receive funding from the illicit trade. The NSCDC has conducted repeated operations against illegal miners across the country, arresting suspects and recovering equipment. But the deaths of 33 or 37 detainees in a single facility in Minna have raised questions about the conditions in which suspects are held, the medical care available to them, and whether the Corps is equipped to manage the large numbers of people it arrests during its enforcement operations. The investigative panel constituted by the Commandant General will examine those questions. Its findings will determine whether the deaths were an unavoidable tragedy or a preventable failure. For the families of the deceased, the wait for answers has begun, and the bodies of their loved ones remain at the hospital mortuary, waiting for the examination that will tell them how their relatives died.
Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments