NSCDC probes custody deaths of illegal miners in Niger State

An investigation is underway in Minna following the deaths of dozens of detainees held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The individuals had been detained following security operations targeting unlicensed mining operations in the north-central region of the country.

Security Operations and Custody Deaths at Minna Facility

The events leading to the tragedy began earlier in the week when NSCDC operatives carried out what state commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye described as a burst operation on September 15 and 16, 2026, according to Amnesty International Nigeria. Wushishi and Lukoto axis of Minna, yielding numerous arrests and the recovery of various exhibits.

Officials confirmed that in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, 2026, scores of the detained suspects were found dead inside the security holding facility.

Conflicting Accounts From Officials and Survivors

Authorities have attributed the sudden loss of life to a medical emergency. Mr. Aniviye stated that the command suspects a suspected outbreak of disease led to the fatalities, though the agency did not immediately specify the exact illness. The bodies of the deceased were subsequently transferred to the General Hospital in Minna for medical examinations to determine the official cause of death.

In contrast, survivors and witnesses have challenged the official explanation, pointing instead to extreme congestion and a lack of fresh air inside the detention block. Dauda Shehu, one of the detainees who survived the incident, described claustrophobic conditions to reporters at Minna General Hospital.

“We were jampacked and there was no ventilation for us to breathe well. All of a sudden, we realized that we could not breathe and we started scrambling to get fresh air.”

Dauda Shehu, survivor

According to Mr. Shehu, 65 detainees had been crammed into a single cell, and prisoners banged desperately on the doors to alert guards when they began losing consciousness.

Casualty Estimates and Human Rights Demands

While official statements from the NSCDC referred broadly to scores of casualties, state records place the verified death toll at 37 individuals. Local media reports and human rights advocates note that the total may be higher and include youths and minors.

Shafatu Sulaiman, who lost two sons in the incident, spoke to journalists at the hospital and pleaded for government intervention. Meanwhile, Amnesty International Nigeria issued a sharp condemnation of the event, calling for a rigorous and independent inquiry.

“the Nigerian government must promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently, and effectively, investigate how detention for one to two days descended into a disaster that killed minors.”

Amnesty International Nigeria

The human rights organization insisted that anyone found responsible for negligence or abusive detention conditions face the full weight of justice rather than administrative sanctions alone.

Police Investigation and State Response

In response to the public outcry, the Niger State Police Command stepped in to initiate a formal criminal inquiry. Wasiu Abiodun, a superintendent of police and public relations officer for the command, released a statement confirming that the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, had ordered an immediate investigation.

The directive places the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna at the helm of the probe. The police commissioner urged relatives and members of the public possessing credible information to come forward to assist authorities.

At the political level, Niger State Governor Umar Bago expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, declared a three-day period of mourning, and canceled a scheduled ruling party political rally. As families mourn outside the hospital in Minna, investigators continue working to reconcile conflicting accounts of disease versus suffocation inside the NSCDC holding cells.