Miners’ Deaths: NSCDC Pledges Justice, Says No Cover-Up

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has pledged that the Corps will not shield any personnel found culpable in the deaths of thirty-seven suspected illegal miners who died in its custody in Minna, Niger State, insisting that justice and transparency will take precedence as investigations into the tragedy continue.

Audi made the pledge on Thursday during a condolence and courtesy visit to the Emir of Minna, His Royal Highness Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, as well as the families of the deceased and the family of a survivor, according to a statement issued by the Corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi. “The CG strongly condoled with the families and gave a firm assurance that the Corps will not shield anyone found culpable, emphasising that justice and transparency will take precedence,” the statement read. Audi also disclosed that the Federal Government, acting on a directive from the Presidency, had constituted a high-powered investigative committee to probe the incident, and that the NSCDC was fully cooperating with the panel. He said relevant personnel had already been placed in protective custody to make them fully available for a transparent investigation process.

The deaths occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026, after the detainees were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations conducted by the NSCDC Niger State Command in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16. The thirty-seven victims were among sixty-seven artisanal and suspected illegal miners arrested during the operations. The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, saying the actual cause would be established through medical examination. Survivors and relatives, however, offered harrowing accounts that contradicted the disease explanation, with one survivor telling the Associated Press that about sixty-five detainees were packed into a small, airless room, suggesting the dead may have suffocated. Those accounts have not been independently verified.

The tragedy triggered protests in Minna, prompting Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to impose a 24-hour curfew. The Governor declared three days of mourning and 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 state government also constituted its own committee of inquiry into the deaths.

The Federal Government responded swiftly. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, constituted a ten-member independent committee 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, as Secretary. The panel includes 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; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and 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 has two weeks to establish the identities of the deceased, investigate the circumstances of their arrest, detention and death, determine responsibility, and recommend appropriate action, compensation where applicable, and measures to prevent a recurrence.

Tunji-Ojo described the deaths as deeply disturbing, saying the government owed the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of what transpired. He warned that any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation would be treated as a serious offence. The Minister also directed the suspension of all officers involved in the incident pending the conclusion of the investigation. The suspensions affected twenty-four officers, including the Niger State Commandant of the Corps, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, station guards, arresting officers, the officer-in-charge of legal affairs and guard duty personnel. The officers were paraded at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja, and the Corps ordered its flag to be flown at half-mast for three days as a mark of mourning and institutional remorse.

Audi’s visit to Minna carried both an administrative and a spiritual dimension. He joined Muslim faithful in observing the third- and seventh-day prayers for the deceased, saying the prayers were significant for seeking the repose of their souls and strength for the bereaved families. Responding on behalf of the traditional institution and the families, the Emir of Minna expressed appreciation to the Commandant General for his visit and the administrative steps taken following the incident. He commended the NSCDC for cooperating with the Presidential investigative committee and for personally identifying with the community during the period of mourning.

The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of detention conditions in Nigeria and of the treatment of artisanal miners, who operate largely outside the regulatory framework governing licensed mining operations. The deaths also come amid heightened tensions in Niger State, where illegal mining has been linked to criminal gang violence and where armed groups have attacked communities in recent months. The Federation of Nigerian Mining Host Communities has demanded an independent investigation and a full forensic determination of the cause of death, while Amnesty International Nigeria has called for a thorough probe, particularly as some of those detained were minors. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have both demanded urgent and transparent investigations.

For the families of the thirty-seven deceased, the arrests and the mounting institutional response represent the first formal steps toward accountability. The NSCDC has said it will not interfere with the investigation and that no individual found culpable will be shielded from investigation or the judicial process. As Audi put it, the process must be transparent, and justice must be allowed to take its course. Whether the investigation delivers the accountability that the families and the public have demanded will be determined in the coming weeks as the Kure-led panel begins its work.

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