CONFLICTING accounts have continued to trail the deaths of 37 suspected illegal artisanal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, with the Federal Government suspending 20 officers and the state commandant as part of measures to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The 37 detainees were among 66 suspected illegal artisanal gold miners arrested by NSCDC operatives during raids conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday in parts of the state.
The detainees reportedly died on Thursday, September 17, after being held at the NSCDC state command in Minna, amid allegations that they were kept in an overcrowded facility with inadequate ventilation.
Survivors give conflicting accounts
The circumstances surrounding the deaths, however, remain unclear, as survivors have given differing accounts of what happened before the mass fatalities.
One of the survivors, Dauda Shehu, said the detainees began experiencing severe breathing difficulties as the heat became unbearable inside the facility.
According to him, the detainees raised the alarm and called for help, but their pleas were allegedly not attended to.
He said some of the detainees subsequently began collapsing, with those at the extreme ends of the facility allegedly among the worst affected.
Shehu added that as more people collapsed and died, the detainees intensified their cries for help, but assistance did not come until the following morning, when several people had already died.
‘Officer sprayed scented substance’
Another survivor, Sadiq Sani, gave a different account, alleging that one of the guards who came around for a routine check sprayed a scented substance into the facility shortly before the detainees began experiencing difficulty breathing.
He said the detainees raised the alarm, but there was no response, adding that the person beside him began trembling violently before he died.
‘The situation in the facility became tense shortly after one of the officers on duty sprayed a scented substance directly into the facility. We all started experiencing difficulty breathing. We called for help, but it was not forthcoming,’ he stated.
Another survivor alleges dehydration
A third survivor, who declined to disclose his identity, alleged that some of the detainees died from dehydration, claiming that there was insufficient water available despite complaints of severe thirst.
He said some of the detainees attempted to force open the door of the facility when the situation became unbearable, but were unsuccessful.
Bago: Survivors gave different accounts
The Niger State governor, Umaru Bago, also acknowledged that conflicting accounts had emerged from survivors regarding the possible cause of the deaths.
According to him, one account suggested that the victims had foam around their mouths and blisters on their bodies, raising the possibility that they might have been exposed to chemicals associated with mining activities.
The uncertainty surrounding the cause of the deaths has heightened calls for an independent investigation.
Kogi, Taraba mining disasters raise fresh safety concerns
In a related development, the Kogi mining tragedy occurred on July 14, 2026, at Alufele Area, Enjema District, in Ankpa Local Government Area of the state, where a mining pit collapsed, killing several persons.
Similarly, another mining disaster was recorded in Taraba State on Thursday, September 17, at Mayo Kam community in Balu Local Government Area, with several persons reportedly losing their lives following the collapse of a mining pit.
The incidents, which occurred within a relatively short period, have heightened concerns over safety standards, regulatory enforcement and the conditions under which mining activities are carried out across the country.
They have also renewed calls for stronger government oversight, strict enforcement of mining safety regulations and improved measures to protect miners and residents of communities where mining activities take place.
FG suspends 20 NSCDC officers
Responding to the development, the Federal Government on Saturday suspended 20 NSCDC officers, including the Niger State Commandant, pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the measures following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the deaths.
The government also constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Atiku demands independent probe, justice
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to ensure a thorough investigation into the deaths of 37 persons in NSCDC custody in Niger State.
Atiku, who spoke on Saturday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the detainees were arrested alive and died under the authority of the state, stressing that suspensions alone were insufficient to address the incident.
‘Thirty-seven Nigerians went into government custody alive. Thirty-seven families got back corpses. Suspensions are not enough-the country deserves the truth, accountability and justice,’ he said.
He urged the Federal Government to explain the circumstances surrounding the deaths, noting that the state assumed responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of those in its custody.
Atiku said allegations by survivors that the detainees were held in an overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell should be subjected to an independent investigation.
He noted that the Ministry of Interior, which supervises the NSCDC, and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, which oversees the mining sector, had roles to play in ensuring accountability in enforcement operations.
The former vice president also said President Tinubu, as head of government, bore overall responsibility for ensuring that the investigation was credible and transparent.
Recalling the 2014 Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment exercise, during which some applicants died, Atiku said the supervising minister at the time was investigated and prosecuted in connection with the exercise. He argued that similar standards of accountability should apply to the Niger State incident.
FG sets up panel
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has suspended 20 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in addition to the Niger State Commandant of the Corps, over the deaths of 37 persons held in NSCDC custody
The government has also constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, September 17.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the measures on Saturday, following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.
The committee, chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Jonathan Kure, is mandated to establish the identities of the deceased and investigate the circumstances surrounding their arrest, detention and deaths.
It is also expected to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable, as well as measures to prevent a recurrence.
Other members include Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, as secretary; retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; representatives of the Minna Emirate Council and Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary, Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and Dr George Agbakahi, a public affairs analyst.
The committee has two weeks to submit its report to the minister and may co-opt relevant experts, access facilities and documents, visit relevant locations and request memoranda from members of the public.
Those suspended
The 20 suspended officers include the Officer-in-Charge of Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka; Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed; Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed; Arresting Officer/Officer-in-Charge of Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday; Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis; and Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino.
Others are HOD INT/INV, DCC Philip Ajayi; Officer-in-Charge of Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado; Day/Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed; and Guard Duty Officers IC Abdullahi Sale, IC Mohammed Sonfada, CAI Liman Abubakar, CAI Bala Usman, IC Mohammed Jiya, DSC Isah Suleiman, CAI Ahmed Wushishi, IC Sale Adamu, IC Haruna Mohammed, ASCI Aliyu Sallah and CAI Isah Sanusi.
SAN demands answers
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Abdul Mohammed, also called for urgent answers and accountability over the deaths.
Speaking on ARISE News, Mohammed said once the state took a person into custody, it assumed heightened responsibility for the individual’s safety, health, dignity and wellbeing.
He stressed that being arrested or suspected of committing an offence did not strip a person of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
SDP, APM call for investigation
Similarly, the Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, condemned the deaths and called for a full-scale investigation.
A statement issued by his campaign’s Chief Communications Adviser, Mark Adebayo, described the incident as a serious violation of human rights and called for accountability over the deaths.
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) also demanded an urgent and transparent investigation.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, expressed concern over both the deaths and reports of protests by residents following the incident.
The APM also condemned the reported use of force against protesters, warning that such actions could result in further loss of lives.
MBF, CLO seek detention facilities reform
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) separately called for independent investigations and reforms of detention facilities operated by security agencies across the country.
The MBF, through its spokesman, Luka Binniyat, described the deaths as an extraordinary tragedy and said the circumstances under which the detainees were held must be investigated.
It also rejected the description of the victims as ‘illegal miners’ as justification for their deaths, insisting that allegations of criminality could not substitute for due process.
The North-Central Coordinator of the CLO, Steve Aluko, similarly called for a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the deaths and urged that anyone found culpable should be prosecuted.
He said the incident should also prompt a wider examination of detention conditions across security agencies in the country.
CISLAC demands prosecution of culpable NSCDC officers
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Nigerian chapter of Transparency International, has called for the prosecution of any officers or officials found culpable in the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the organisation expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and called for the involvement of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), civil society representatives and forensic experts in the investigation.
Rafsanjani also demanded that the findings of the investigation, including relevant detention records and medical reports, be made public.
Foundation demands probe into NSCDC custody deaths, pit collapses in Kogi, Taraba
The Media for Social Change Foundation has also expressed concern over the rising fatalities in Nigeria’s mining sector, calling for an independent investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners.
In a press statement issued on Saturday and co-signed by its co-founders, Boluwaji Obahopo and Opeyemi Owoeye, the foundation drew attention to similar recent incidents in Kogi and Taraba states, where more than 40 Nigerians reportedly lost their lives in mining pit collapses.
According to the foundation, the frequency of mining-related deaths points to a disturbing pattern that requires urgent government attention.
Reacting to the Niger State incident, the organisation described the deaths as deeply troubling, particularly because the victims died after being taken into state custody.
While acknowledging that autopsies and forensic examinations were underway to establish the exact cause of death, the foundation insisted that the circumstances surrounding the victims’ arrest, detention and deaths must be subjected to an independent and transparent investigation.
It called for accountability and stronger safety measures across the mining sector to prevent further loss of lives.
Cause of deaths remains unresolved
With the government investigation now underway, the cause of the deaths and the circumstances that led to the fatalities remain unresolved.
The outcome of the independent panel’s investigation is expected to establish what happened inside the NSCDC facility, determine whether negligence or misconduct occurred and identify those responsible, if any.