Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Federation of Nigerian Mining Host Communities has demanded an independent investigation and a full forensic determination of the cause of death of thirty-seven persons who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State, saying the deaths have deepened the distrust between mining communities and the security agencies deployed to police them.
The FNMHC made the call in a statement on Friday, September 18, 2026, following the deaths of the detainees, who were arrested during enforcement operations targeting suspected illegal mining around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State between September 15 and 16. The NSCDC had detained dozens of people during the operation as part of efforts to tackle unauthorised mining activities. The detainees were found dead inside a detention facility in Minna in the early hours of Thursday, September 17. Authorities said the cause of death remains unconfirmed, while investigations and medical examinations are ongoing.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain contested. The NSCDC initially suggested that a suspected disease outbreak may have been responsible, before later saying the cause had not been established and would be determined through medical examinations. A survivor told the Associated Press that about sixty-five detainees were packed into a small, airless room, suggesting the dead may have suffocated. Accounts from relatives have painted a picture of severe overcrowding and denial of basic provisions. Shafa’atu Suleiman, the mother of one of the deceased, said she visited her son while he was being detained and found him in what she described as a cramped NSCDC cell. She said relatives had been prevented from taking food to the detainees and alleged that officials demanded one hundred thousand naira for their release. “This is injustice. We will not forgive them,” she said. Those allegations have not been independently established and should be treated as claims pending investigation.
The FNMHC said the investigation should establish the detainees’ condition at arrest, the conditions of their detention, and the medical care provided to them while in custody. The group welcomed the suspension of the Niger State NSCDC commandant pending investigations into the incident. It also called for accountability if investigators establish individual or institutional wrongdoing. The federation urged authorities to investigate the allegations that relatives were prevented from providing food to detainees, as well as the claims that money was demanded for their release. It further urged an independent review of the security response to protests that followed the deaths. Reports said security forces used tear gas and opened fire during demonstrations in Minna, although accounts differ on the ammunition used. At least one body was seen lying on the street as soldiers and police officers were deployed to restore order.
The FNMHC said the investigation should protect witnesses, surviving detainees, relatives and community members who provide information. It also called for families to receive information about the deaths and appropriate remedies where violations are established. The federation said enforcement against illegal mining should also address mining safety, environmental protection and human rights, arguing that the response to unauthorised mining cannot be separated from the welfare of the communities that host the operations.
The Federal Government responded swiftly to the deaths. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed on Saturday that a ten-member independent committee had been constituted to investigate the incident, following a directive by President Bola Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation. The committee is chaired by Mr. Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, with Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, serving as Secretary. Other members include retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; a representative of the Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; Mr. Deji Adeyanju, lawyer and human rights activist; Mrs. Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and Dr. George Agbakahi, a public affairs analyst. The committee is tasked with establishing the identities of the deceased and investigating their arrests, detention, and the cause and circumstances of their deaths. It is also mandated to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, and to recommend appropriate action, compensation where applicable, and measures to prevent a recurrence. It has two weeks to submit its report to the Minister.
The Minister directed the immediate suspension of all officers involved in the incident pending the conclusion of the committee’s investigation. The suspensions affected twenty-one officers, including the Niger State Commandant of the Corps, station guards, arresting officers and guard duty personnel. Tunji-Ojo described the deaths as disturbing and said the government owed the families of the deceased and the public a transparent account of the events leading to the tragic incident. He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence.
The deaths have triggered protests and heightened tensions in Minna, with hundreds of residents taking to the streets on Friday to demand justice. The Niger State Government has declared three days of mourning. The state government also constituted its own committee of inquiry into the deaths. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago questioned the number of miners arrested, saying his office and that of Homeland Security were not informed before the NSCDC operation. He said sixty-seven artisanal miners had been held in a cell before thirty-seven died.
The tragedy has renewed attention on Nigeria’s long-running efforts to curb illegal mining, a sector that authorities say damages the environment and deprives the government of revenue, but which also provides livelihoods for thousands of artisanal miners in communities where formal employment is scarce. The FNMHC’s intervention reflects a broader demand from mining host communities for a more balanced approach to enforcement, one that addresses criminality without treating entire communities as adversaries. As the committee begins its work, the families of the thirty-seven deceased are waiting for answers. Whether the investigation delivers the transparency and accountability that the FNMHC and the families have demanded will determine whether the deaths become a catalyst for reform or another entry in a long record of custodial fatalities that are investigated but never fully explained.
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