By Zainab Bakare
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, cell before 37 of them died in custody.
The miners were arrested during NSCDC 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.
The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak but later said the actual cause had not been established.
It said medical and laboratory examinations would determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Bago disclosed the number of detainees while addressing journalists in Minna on Friday as investigations continued.
The governor said authorities had not established the exact cause of death but were considering possible suffocation 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 to assist the committee investigating the incident.
Bago called for the speedy completion of autopsies and other examinations to establish the cause of the deaths.
He also said experts had been deployed to examine the possibility of radiological exposure at the mining site.
The governor stressed the need for responsible mining, including the use of protective equipment and continuous safety awareness among miners.
He said the deaths of 37 people should not be treated lightly.
“Even at times of war, if you kill 37 people, it is not a small number. So there’s need for us to expedite action in the autopsies that are being done, in the samples that are being taken at the scene and also by the Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps on the actions of their men who made the arrest,” he said.
The governor urged caution while investigations continue, saying the state government and security agencies were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and ordered a full investigation into the incident.
