Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) cell before 37 died in custody.
The miners were arrested during NSCDC enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026.
The deaths were discovered in the early hours of September 17, triggering investigations by the state government, NSCDC and other security agencies.
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Bago disclosed the figure while addressing journalists in Minna on Friday, saying the exact cause of death had not been established.
The governor said investigators were examining several possibilities, including suffocation arising from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities.
“The first one is that the office of the Niger State Civil Defence arrested 67 artisans and illegal miners and put them in their cell.
“So probably they died of suffocation. Probably the second one is exposure to certain poisons or poisoning substances on the field,” Bago said.
He said medical, forensic and biological teams had been deployed to collect samples that would assist the committee investigating the incident.
Bago also stressed the need for autopsies and other examinations to be completed quickly to establish the actual cause of the deaths.
The NSCDC had initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak. The Corps later clarified that the cause had not been established and that medical and laboratory examinations were required before any conclusion could be reached.
The governor said experts had also been deployed to examine the possibility of radiological or other hazardous exposure at the mining site.
He called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrests and the conduct of NSCDC personnel involved in the detention of the miners.
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and ordered a full investigation into the incident.
President Bola Tinubu has also directed a comprehensive and transparent probe into the deaths, including the conditions under which the detainees were held and the medical attention provided to them.
The Niger State Government has constituted a committee of inquiry, while separate investigations are being conducted by relevant security agencies.
The development has also triggered protests and unrest in Minna. Bago subsequently imposed a 24-hour curfew in the state capital following attacks on public and private property.
The governor urged residents to remain calm and allow the investigations to establish what led to the deaths.
