FG has suspended NSCDC commandant and 20 officers over Niger Miners’ deaths.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and 20 other officers over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody.
The officers will remain suspended pending the conclusion of an independent investigation into the deaths, which occurred on September 17, 2026, after scores of suspected illegal miners were arrested during enforcement operations in Niger State.
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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the suspension in a statement issued on Saturday, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
The suspension comes alongside the constitution of a 10-member independent committee mandated to establish the identities of the deceased, investigate their arrest and detention, and determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
The committee is also expected to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable.
The government has not established the cause of the deaths. The NSCDC initially attributed the incident to a suspected disease outbreak but later clarified that the actual cause remained subject to medical and laboratory examinations.
The 20 other NSCDC officers suspended are:
- O/C Station Guard — SC Usman Isah Ndamaka
- Station Guard — ASCI Hassan Mohammed
- Station Guard — CCA Bala Mohammed
- Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation — CSC Oluwadare Sunday
- Arresting Officer — DCC Obafemi Elvis
- Arresting Officer — CSC Annas Shitto Lamino
- HOD INT/INV — DCC Philip Ajayi
- O/C Legal — ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado
- Night Duty Officer — ASCI Alhassan Mohammed
- Guard Duty — IC Abdullahi Sale
- Guard Duty — IC Mohammed Sonfada
- Guard Duty — CAI Liman Abubakar
- Guard Duty — CAI Bala Usman
- Guard Duty — IC Mohammed Jiya
- Guard Duty — DSC Isah Suleiman
- Guard Duty — CAI Ahmed Wushishi
- Guard Duty — IC Sale Adamu
- Guard Duty — IC Haruna Mohammed
- Guard Duty — ASCI Aliyu Sallah
- Guard Duty — CAI Isah Sanusi
The 37 deceased were among scores of suspected illegal miners arrested by the Niger State NSCDC Command during enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16.
The Corps said the operations were conducted as part of efforts to tackle illegal mining, with various exhibits reportedly recovered during the arrests.
The following day, the detainees were found dead in NSCDC custody in Minna.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths have since generated conflicting accounts. A survivor, Dauda Shehu, told journalists that detainees had been packed into an overcrowded cell where they struggled to breathe. Another survivor alleged that a substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside the cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing. Those accounts remain allegations and have not been established as the official cause of death.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained before 37 died. He said authorities were examining possible causes including suffocation and exposure to poisonous substances, while forensic, medical and biological examinations were being conducted.
The deaths triggered protests in Minna, following which the Niger State Government imposed a curfew as authorities moved to contain the unrest.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has also visited Niger State and pledged a thorough investigation. Police subsequently secured the scene of the incident to preserve evidence and prevent anything from being removed or added before investigations are concluded.
President Tinubu had earlier directed a comprehensive investigation into the deaths, while the Federal Government said officials found responsible for wrongdoing, negligence or other misconduct would face appropriate action.
The independent committee is expected to submit its report within two weeks.
The government has urged calm while the investigations continue, with the cause of the deaths and any responsibility for them yet to be conclusively established.
