The Federal Government has suspended 21 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the corps’ custody in Niger State.
The suspension was announced by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Saturday, September 19, as the Federal Government intensified its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The suspended officers include the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, who was previously ordered to step aside following the incident.
The other 20 officers suspended are:
- SC Usman Isah Ndamaka, Officer in Charge, Station Guard
- ASCI Hassan Mohammed, Station Guard
- CCA Bala Mohammed, Station Guard
- CSC Oluwadare Sunday, Arresting Officer/Officer in Charge of Investigation
- DCC Obafemi Elvis, Arresting Officer
- CSC Annas Shitto Lamino, Arresting Officer
- DCC Philip Ajayi, Head of Intelligence and Investigation
- ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado, Officer in Charge, Legal
- ASCI Alhassan Mohammed, Night Duty Officer
- 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, Guard Duty
The Ministry of Interior said the officers would remain suspended pending the conclusion of an independent investigation into the deaths.
The Federal Government has also constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident.
The committee is expected to establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrest, detention and deaths.
It has also been directed to determine whether there was responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct, and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable.
The 37 deceased were among scores of artisanal and suspected illegal miners arrested during NSCDC enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
The NSCDC said the operation was part of efforts to tackle illegal mining activities in the state, with various exhibits reportedly recovered during the arrests.
The detainees were taken into NSCDC custody in Minna. The following day, some of them were found dead.
The corps initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, but later clarified that the actual cause had not been established and that medical and laboratory examinations were required.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago subsequently disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained before 37 of them died.
Bago said investigators were examining possible suffocation linked to overcrowding and possible exposure to poisonous or hazardous substances associated with mining activities.
“So probably they died of suffocation. Probably the second one is exposure to certain poisons or poisoning substances on the field.”
The governor also said forensic, medical and biological experts had been deployed to collect samples, while authorities were examining the possibility of hazardous or radiological exposure at the mining site.
Survivors have separately raised allegations about conditions inside the detention facility.
One survivor, Dauda Shehu, alleged that detainees were packed into a poorly ventilated cell and struggled to breathe.
Another surviving detainee alleged that a substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside the overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing.
The claims have not established the cause of death, and authorities are expected to rely on autopsies, laboratory examinations and forensic evidence to determine what happened.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full and transparent investigation into the incident and directed that any official found to have contributed to the deaths through action, abuse or negligence should be arrested and prosecuted where the evidence establishes criminal responsibility.
The President also said the fact that the detainees were suspected of illegal mining did not remove their right to life, dignity and humane treatment while in government custody.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has also visited Governor Bago in Minna and pledged a thorough police investigation into the deaths.
The incident has triggered protests in parts of Minna, with reports of vandalism and attacks on public and private property. The Niger State Government subsequently imposed a curfew following the unrest.
Governor Bago has urged residents to remain calm while the investigations continue.
The Federal Government’s latest action means that 21 NSCDC personnel have now been suspended, while multiple investigations are underway to establish how the 37 detainees died and whether any officials should face disciplinary, administrative or criminal consequences.
The cause of the deaths remains officially undetermined pending the outcome of the medical, forensic and independent investigations.
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