2O NSCDC officers suspended over detained miners’ deaths ( See full list

The Federal Government has suspended 20 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody in Niger State.

The suspension, ordered by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also affects the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, who had earlier been suspended over the incident.

The officers will remain suspended pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

Tunji-Ojo announced the latest development in a statement issued on Saturday, adding that the Federal Government had constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident.

The panel is expected to establish the identities of the deceased and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, as well as determine what caused their deaths.

It is also mandated to establish responsibility, complicity, negligence or misconduct and recommend appropriate measures, including compensation where necessary.

The 20 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 deceased were among scores of suspected illegal miners arrested by the Niger State Command of the NSCDC during enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16.

The Corps said the operations were aimed at curbing illegal mining, adding that various exhibits were recovered from those arrested.

However, some of the detainees were discovered 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 transferred to the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to determine the actual cause of death.

The precise cause of the deaths has yet to be officially established.

A survivor, Dauda Shehu, told journalists that detainees were 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 into an overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing.

The incident triggered protests in Minna and prompted the Niger State Government to impose a curfew following the ensuing unrest.

Governor Umar Bago confirmed the death toll and ordered a state-level investigation into the incident.

President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed a comprehensive investigation into the deaths.