The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and 20 other officers over the reported deaths of 37 alleged illegal miners in the Corps’ custody.
The officers were suspended pending the conclusion of an independent investigation into the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
Ministry of Interior announced the suspension in a statement signed by the minister on Saturday.
The statement said the suspension was in addition to the setting up of a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident.
According to the statement, the committee is expected to establish the identities of the deceased and investigate their arrest, detention, as well as the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
The minister also directed the committee to determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, and recommend appropriate action and compensation where applicable.
Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Aniviye, had earlier been suspended.
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 scores of suspected illegal miners arrested 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.
NSCDC said the operation was part of efforts to tackle illegal mining activities and that various exhibits were recovered during the arrests.
The following day, some of the detainees were found dead in NSCDC custody in Minna.
NSCDC initially said the deaths followed a suspected disease outbreak and that the bodies had been taken to the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to establish the actual cause of death.
However, the cause of the deaths remained unconfirmed.
A survivor, Dauda Shehu, told journalists that detainees had been packed into a poorly ventilated cell and struggled to breathe. The account has not been established as the official cause of death.
Another survivor alleged that a substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside an overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing.
The deaths sparked protests in Minna, with the Niger State Government subsequently imposing a curfew following unrest.
Governor Umar Bago also confirmed the death toll and ordered a state-level inquiry into the incident.
Following the incident, President Bola Tinubu directed a comprehensive investigation.
