Miners Death: 24 NSCDC Officers Paraded at National Headquarters, Detains As FG Begins Probe

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has said 24 of its personnel linked to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in custody in Niger State will remain in protective detention for two weeks, pending the conclusion of an independent investigation ordered by the Federal Government.

Babawale Afolabi, National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, told Newsmen on Friday that the affected personnel would remain in custody throughout the period of the investigation by the 10-member independent investigative committee inaugurated by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior.

The committee was given two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the Ministry of Interior.

Afolabi said the detention was necessary to ensure that the officers remained available to investigators and could not interfere with the investigation.

He explained that the measure was a form of “protective detention” and was distinct from the ordinary constitutional limits governing police or other forms of criminal detention.

“They’ll be in custody,” Afolabi said when asked whether the officers would remain detained for the two weeks required by the committee to complete its investigation.

Asked about the constitutional provisions relating to the period for which a suspect could ordinarily be held in custody, he said the circumstances were different because the officers were being held under a directive connected to the independent investigation.

“This one is quite different. It’s presidential order. We can’t leave them. They’re under a kind of protective detention, so they cannot go anywhere”, he said.



The NSCDC had earlier said all personnel of its Niger State Command linked to the incident were taken into protective custody at its National Headquarters in Abuja from September 17, where they have been undergoing interrogation and administrative disciplinary procedures.

The development follows the death of 37 suspected illegal miners arrested and detained by NSCDC personnel in Niger State between September 15 and 16.

The incident has generated public concern over the circumstances surrounding the deaths, particularly allegations about the conditions under which the detainees were held and the treatment they received while in custody.

Afolabi said three additional personnel had been identified and placed on suspension, bringing the number of officers and men in detention to 24.

According to him, the affected personnel were taken into custody to make them available to the independent presidential investigation committee and other investigative panels for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“In a swift and decisive joint operation conducted in conjunction with the Commandant General’s Special Investigation Squad (SIS), all officers and men of the Niger State Command linked to the gross misconduct have since, on the 17th September 2026, been taken into protective custody at the National Headquarters, Abuja, where they are undergoing rigorous interrogation and administrative disciplinary action, to make them available for the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other investigation panels for further investigation and possible prosecution,” he said.

The officers include Subaru Aniviye; the suspended Niger State Commandant, Ajayi Philips, Head of Intelligence and Investigation; John Agrahau Chagwa, Head of Operations; Obafemi Elvis; Stephen Tsado, Officer-in-Charge of Legal; Oluwadare Sunday; Annas Shittu Lamino; SC Usman Isah Ndamaka; and DSC Aminu Sule Garba.

Others are Musa Marafa, Isah Sulaiman, Hassan Muhammad, Alhassan Muhammad, Aliyu Sallah, who was on guard duty; Abdullahi Sale; Mohammed Sonfada; Mohammed Jiya; Sale Adamu; Haruna Muhammed; CCA Baba Muhamma; Isah Sanusi; CAI Liman Abubakar; Bala Usman; and Ahmed Wushishi.

The NSCDC said the officers are being held in connection with their roles in the events surrounding the arrest and detention of the suspected illegal miners.

The Corps has also commenced administrative disciplinary procedures while the independent investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Bago, Governor of Niger State has disclosed that survivors of the incident alleged that the detainees were held in overcrowded and poorly ventilated rooms and that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside one of the cells.

Bago, speaking in an interview with the BBC, said one of the survivors, who is currently with the Department of State Services (DSS), alleged that a man entered the room where detainees were being held and sprayed a substance resembling perfume.

According to the governor, the survivor said people subsequently began coughing and choking.

“One of the survivors, who is currently with the DSS, said a man came into their room where they were detained and sprayed something like perfume. Then people started coughing and choking,” Bago said.

He said other survivors described the substance as being similar to pepper and suggested that it could have been tear gas or another chemical substance.

The BBC, however, said it could not independently verify the allegations.



Bago also said survivors complained that the detention room was overcrowded and poorly ventilated, with some detainees struggling to breathe.

He said some survivors allegedly drank their own urine because of thirst, while others reportedly placed their noses under the door to obtain air.

According to him, some detainees collapsed and died amid the heat and lack of air, while people kept in different rooms survived.

The governor said he was initially unaware of the arrests and only learnt of the deaths after the incident.

He said the state government should not be held responsible for the incident because the NSCDC is a federal agency and does not operate under the control of the state government.

Bago said the Corps did not require the governor’s permission to arrest people where the matter fell within its jurisdiction, adding that the fight against illegal mining was among the responsibilities of the NSCDC.

The governor said he visited the detention facility after learning about the deaths and subsequently went to the General Hospital in Minna, where the bodies were taken.

He said the condition of some of the bodies was disturbing, with some reportedly showing peeling skin, swelling, foam around the mouth and bleeding from the nose and mouth.

Bago said doctors were brought in and samples collected to establish the cause of death, while autopsies had also been conducted on some of the bodies.

He stressed, however, that the circumstances surrounding the deaths remained unclear and that several possibilities were still being investigated.



“But all of these are allegations that must be investigated,” he said.

The governor said several committees had been constituted to investigate the incident, including panels involving the police, DSS and the state government.

He added that the Inspector-General of Police had also inaugurated a separate committee, while the Interior Minister visited the state with officials from relevant agencies.

Bago said personnel working at the detention facility, except the head of the facility, had been suspended to prevent interference with the investigation.

The governor also raised questions over the number of people arrested and the number of detainees held in the room where most of the deaths occurred.

He said the state government had received information that more than 67 people were arrested, while 37 subsequently died.

“We want to establish exactly how many people were arrested. We are still investigating that,” he said.

Bago also said some relatives of the deceased were unaware that their family members had died until they arrived at the facility and were later involved in identifying the bodies.

The incident has also drawn attention to the wider problem of illegal mining in Niger State, where the governor said young people and families often engage in the activity as a source of livelihood.

He said the miners themselves frequently earn little from the minerals they extract, while middlemen who purchase the minerals make more money.

Bago said mining activities were also affecting school attendance in some communities, with children abandoning school to search for minerals and women and other family members joining the activity.

He said the state government had been seeking partnerships to develop the mining sector under a regulated framework capable of creating jobs and improving livelihoods.

The governor said the state would support the families of the victims once those affected had been properly identified.

“Thirty-seven people have died. Can we simply remain silent?” he asked, stressing that the investigation must establish what happened.

The Federal Government has similarly assured the families of the deceased that the matter would be pursued.