Probe Begins Into Deaths of 37 Miners in NSCDC Custody

An independent investigation has begun into the deaths of 37 people suspected of illegal mining who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State.

The deaths occurred on September 17, 2026, after the detainees were arrested during enforcement operations against suspected illegal mining around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Minna on September 15 and 16.

The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation, and authorities have not established an official cause of death.

Independent committee begins investigation

The Federal Government constituted a 10-member independent committee following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation.

The Ministry of Interior said the committee’s mandate includes establishing the identities of the deceased and examining their arrest, detention and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The committee, chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services Jonathan Kure, includes legal, medical, mining, media and public-affairs representatives.

The government gave the committee two weeks to complete its work and submit its report to the Minister of Interior.

The committee held its inaugural meeting after being sworn in and adopted a work plan for the investigation.

It said investigators would visit relevant locations, engage government agencies, interview survivors and other people with knowledge of the incident, and obtain documents and other materials needed to establish what happened.

Medical investigation underway

A medical team attached to the committee has also begun work.

According to the committee’s secretary, Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, the medical team is examining the cause, mechanism and manner of the deaths.

This means that reports about how the detainees died remain subject to investigation.

The NSCDC initially said the deaths followed a suspected disease outbreak. The Corps later cautioned against drawing conclusions before medical and laboratory examinations and autopsies were completed.

Survivors and other accounts have raised additional claims concerning the conditions in which the detainees were held. Reuters reported allegations that detainees were kept in an overcrowded cell and that survivors described difficulties breathing before people collapsed. Those allegations have not been established as the official cause of death.

How the deaths unfolded

The victims were among people arrested during NSCDC operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities in Minna.

Initial reports put the death toll at 33, but the Niger State Government subsequently confirmed that 37 people had died.

Niger State Governor Umaru Bago said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained in the facility before the deaths.

The governor also said authorities were conducting forensic and medical examinations to establish what happened.

The incident triggered protests in Minna, with security personnel deployed as authorities sought to contain tensions and restore calm.

NSCDC officers suspended

The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State NSCDC commandant and 20 other officers in connection with the incident, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The suspended personnel include officers involved in station guard duties, arrests, investigations, intelligence, legal services and other custodial responsibilities.

The suspension is an administrative measure pending the investigation. It does not by itself establish individual responsibility for the deaths.

The government has also directed relevant agencies and officials to preserve information and cooperate with the independent investigation.

Niger State also opens inquiry

The federal investigation is not the only inquiry into the incident.

The Niger State Government established its own commission of inquiry and ordered forensic examinations and autopsies to help establish the cause of death.

The state commission was later inaugurated in Minna and given four weeks to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and submit its findings and recommendations.

The Nigeria Police Force has also investigated the incident after the Niger State Commissioner of Police ordered a probe into the deaths.

The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development separately deployed experts to assist with the investigation.

What remains unanswered

Several important questions remain unresolved.

They include the precise medical cause of death, the conditions inside the detention facility, the number of people held there at the relevant time, the medical attention available to detainees and whether any official procedures were breached.

The independent committee has been tasked with examining those questions rather than relying on preliminary explanations.

The committee has also said it will receive information from members of the public and interview people with material knowledge of the incident.

The identities of the deceased have also been compiled by an independent human-rights organisation, although the official investigation is responsible for establishing the identities as part of its mandate.

Investigation remains ongoing

As of September 27, 2026, there has been no final official finding establishing what caused the deaths of the 37 detainees.

The independent committee’s medical team has begun its work, while investigators are gathering testimony, documents and other evidence.

Until the inquiries and medical examinations are completed, claims that the deaths were definitively caused by disease, suffocation, toxic exposure, mistreatment or any other specific factor should be treated as unconfirmed.

The investigation is expected to provide the evidence needed to establish the circum