The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) along with 20 other officers, following reports of the deaths of 37 miners in the Corps’ custody.
The officers were suspended while an independent investigation into the deaths, which took place on Thursday, September 17, 2026, is being concluded.
The Ministry of Interior made the suspension known in a statement signed by the minister on Saturday.
The statement noted that the suspension came alongside the creation of a 10-member independent committee to look into the incident.
The statement added that the committee is expected to identify the deceased and probe their arrest, detention, and the cause and circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The minister also instructed the committee to establish responsibility, complicity, negligence, and misconduct and to recommend suitable action and compensation where necessary.
The Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Aniviye, had been suspended earlier.
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 numerous suspected illegal miners detained by the NSCDC Niger State Command during enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16.
The Corps stated that the operation formed part of efforts to address illegal mining activities, adding that various exhibits were recovered during the arrests.
The next day, some of the detainees were discovered dead in NSCDC custody in Minna.
The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, saying the bodies had been transported to the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to determine the actual cause of death.
Nevertheless, the cause of the deaths was still not confirmed.
A survivor, Dauda Shehu, informed journalists that the detainees had been crammed into a poorly ventilated cell and found it hard to breathe. This account has not been confirmed as the official cause of death.
Another survivor claimed that a substance similar to perfume was sprayed inside an overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees started collapsing.
The deaths triggered protests in Minna, prompting the Niger State Government to impose a curfew after the unrest.
Governor Umar Bago also confirmed the death toll and called for a state-level inquiry into the incident.
In the wake of the incident, President Bola Tinubu ordered a comprehensive investigation.
