37 Suspected Miners Die in Nigerian Custody; Federal Investigation Launched

Thirty-seven people suspected of illegal mining died while in custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State on September 17, 2026. The detainees were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations on September 15 and 16 in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas. They were held at an NSCDC detention facility where they were found dead in the early hours of September 17. The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak pending medical confirmation, but survivor accounts and relatives reported overcrowding, poor ventilation, and excessive heat in the holding cells. One detainee's father told the BBC his son survived because he was positioned near a small window, and described how others fainted in the heat and collapsed, with detainees repeatedly knocking on the door for help that went unanswered.

President Bola Tinubu responded by ordering the prosecution of any officials found culpable through action, abuse, or negligence. The federal government suspended the Niger State NSCDC commandant Suberu Aniviye and 20 other officers pending investigation. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo constituted a 10-member independent committee with two weeks to investigate the identities of the deceased, circumstances of their arrests and detention, and the cause of death. The NSCDC subsequently took 24 personnel into custody in connection with the incident and deployed a new commandant to the state.

The deaths sparked public disturbances including attacks on public buildings and buses in Minna, prompting a 24-hour curfew. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago declared three days of mourning and called for a federal executive order to ban mining in identified problematic locations across Niger State, citing challenges in enforcement and noting that children were increasingly drawn into artisanal mining at the expense of education. The Niger State Police Command took over the scene and began preliminary forensic investigations under the direction of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to establish the circumstances and ensure accountability.

The identities of the 37 deceased were compiled by the International Human Rights Commission from General Hospital Minna records, with four additional names added after relatives of victims approached the commission. The exact cause of death remains under investigation, with the remains undergoing examination at the general hospital. Nigeria's constitution requires detainees to be brought before a court within a "reasonable time"—typically one to two days—and it was unclear whether any suspects had been formally charged before the deaths occurred.