Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, following the reported death of no fewer than 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the Corps on Thursday.
The commandant-general of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has ordered a full-scale investigation and summoned key operational, mining, legal, and intelligence heads from the state command.
The Niger State Police Command has also opened an independent investigation directed by the commissioner of police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago confirmed the death toll of 37 individuals.
The detainees were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, the Niger State Command confirmed.
In a statement before his suspension, Commandant Suberu Aniviye said the suspects had been arrested during a “burst operation” conducted by the Corps on September 15 and 16, 2026, as part of efforts to curb illegal mining activities in the state. The suspected illegal miners were arrested during an operation in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto village in the state, he said. “The operation led to the arrest of scores of suspected illegal miners and the recovery of various exhibits,” he stated.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for further medical examination to determine the actual cause of death. A suspected disease outbreak may have been responsible, but the precise cause of death is yet to be medically established, the Corps said initially.
The NSCDC said it is working with sister security agencies to manage the situation and appealed to the families of the deceased and members of the public to remain calm and avoid actions capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.
The Corps also reiterated its commitment to human rights and international human rights charters while carrying out its mandate of protecting lives and property, as well as critical national assets and infrastructure. It expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the repose of their souls.
However, some relations of the victims say they died of suffocation inside the NSCDC cell. “It’s state murder,” said a source who refused to speak for attribution.
Former minister Solomon Dalung Esq., in a Facebook post, says, “Once the state arrests a person, it assumes responsibility for that person’s safety. A suspect does not become a person without rights simply because he is accused of illegal mining.
“That is why this investigation must go beyond announcing that an inquiry has been constituted.
“The public deserves an independent, transparent and evidence-based determination of what happened.
“There should be proper post-mortem examinations, medical and laboratory confirmation of the cause of death, a reconstruction of the timeline from arrest to death, and a clear examination of the conditions under which the suspects were detained.
“Illegal mining is a crime the state has every right to confront. But enforcement of the law cannot mean suspension of the law.
“The question is not whether these men were suspected illegal miners. The question is what happened to them after the state took them into its custody.
“Thirty-three people reportedly dying in custody is too serious to be buried under an administrative statement.
“We need the truth. And if the truth establishes responsibility, we need accountability.”
