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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and 20 other officers over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody.
The officers were suspended pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
The Ministry of Interior announced the suspension in a statement signed by Tunji-Ojo on Saturday.
The suspension comes alongside the establishment of a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident.
The committee has been tasked with identifying the deceased and examining their arrests, detention and the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
It will also determine whether responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct played any role and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable.
The Niger State Commandant, 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 during enforcement operations by the NSCDC Niger State Command in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16.
The Corps said the operations were part of efforts to tackle illegal mining and that various exhibits were recovered during the arrests.
Some of the detainees were found dead in NSCDC custody in Minna the following day.
The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak and said the bodies had been taken to General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to determine the actual cause.
The cause of the deaths, however, remained unconfirmed.
A survivor, Dauda Shehu, told journalists that detainees had been kept in a poorly ventilated cell where they struggled to breathe.
His account has not been established as the official cause of the deaths.
Another survivor alleged that a substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside an overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing.
The deaths triggered protests in Minna, prompting the Niger State Government to impose a curfew following the unrest.
Governor Umar Bago also confirmed the death toll and ordered a state-level inquiry into the incident.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed a comprehensive investigation into the deaths.
