Nigerian Government has suspended 20 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in connection with the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were in the custody of the Corps in Minna, Niger State.
The government has also constituted a 10-member independent investigative committee to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and establish responsibility for the incident.
The incident followed enforcement operations conducted by the NSCDC at mining sites in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026, during which several suspected illegal miners were arrested.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who announced the measures in a statement he personally signed, said they followed a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation.
According to the minister, the investigation will focus on the reported deaths of 37 people held by the NSCDC Niger State Command on suspicion of illegal mining.
Tunji-Ojo said the government considered the deaths deeply disturbing and owed the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of what transpired.
He directed the immediate suspension of all officers involved in the incident pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The suspended officers include the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, as well as officers serving in various capacities at the station.
They 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; and O/C Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado.
Others are Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed; Guard Duty, IC Abdullahi Sale; IC Mohammed Sonfada; CAI Liman Abubakar; CAI Bala Usman; IC Mohammed Jiya; DSC Isah Suleiman; CAI Ahmed Wushishi; IC Sale Adamu; IC Haruna Mohammed; ASCI Aliyu Sallah and CAI Isah Sanusi.
The minister said the investigative panel would establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrest, detention and deaths.
It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable, as well as measures to prevent a recurrence.
The committee is chaired by Jonathan Kure, mni, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, will serve as secretary.
Other members are retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Prof. Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; a representative of the Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint newspaper; and Dr George Agbakahi, a public affairs analyst.
Tunji-Ojo said the committee could co-opt relevant experts, access necessary facilities and documents, visit locations connected to the incident and request memoranda from members of the public.
The panel has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its report to the minister.
The minister also directed NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate fully with the investigation and ensure that all records and material evidence connected to the incident were preserved and made available.
“Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence,” he warned.
Tunji-Ojo expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation continues.
Meanwhile, the newly redeployed Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Commandant A.S. Kabara, has assumed duty, taking over from the suspended Commandant Aniviye.
In a statement signed by the Command Public Relations Officer, DSC Abubakar Muti, Kabara’s assumption of office came amid the investigation into the deaths of the 37 artisanal miners.
The new commandant expressed sadness over the incident and sympathised with the families of the deceased and others affected.
Kabara said the Corps remained committed to its statutory responsibilities, including arrest, investigation, enforcement and the fight against illegal mining, but stressed that the sanctity of human life must remain paramount.
“At a moment like this, beyond arrests, investigations, enforcement and the fight against illegal mining, we must remember one fundamental truth: every human life matters,” he said.
He added that the responsibility of enforcing the law must go hand in hand with protecting the dignity, safety and welfare of people in custody.
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