37 miners die in Niger NSCDC custody after 67 were held in one cell, says Gov Bago

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were held in a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps cell before 37 of them died in custody.

The miners were reportedly arrested during enforcement operations conducted by the NSCDC around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16, 2026.

The deaths, discovered in the early hours of September 17, initially prompted the NSCDC to suggest that a disease outbreak might have been responsible.

The Corps subsequently clarified that the cause had not been determined, saying medical and laboratory examinations were required to establish what happened.

Bago made the disclosure on Friday while speaking with journalists in Minna as investigations into the incident continued.

The governor said authorities were yet to establish the precise cause of death but identified overcrowding and possible exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities among the issues being examined.

“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.

According to the governor, medical, forensic and biological experts had been mobilised to obtain samples from the relevant locations and assist the committee investigating the deaths.

He called for the autopsies and other scientific examinations to be conducted without delay so that the circumstances surrounding the deaths could be established.

Bago also used the incident to stress the importance of responsible mining practices, particularly the use of protective equipment and sustained public education about the dangers associated with mining.

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“It is very important to understand that responsible mining must be the way forward where miners will have to use protective gears and also a lot of advocacy by the ministry must be done and must be continuous where people don’t understand the danger and the consequences of mining,” he said.

The governor said the number of fatalities made it imperative for the investigation to be conducted thoroughly and urgently.

“Even at times of war, if you kill 37 people, 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.

Bago further disclosed that specialists had been brought in to investigate whether radiological exposure could have contributed to the deaths at the mining location.

He urged the public to avoid drawing conclusions before the investigations are completed, as state authorities and security agencies continue efforts to determine exactly what happened to the detainees.

The NSCDC had earlier confirmed that a large number of suspected illegal miners arrested during operations around the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis were found dead in custody.

The Corps said the cause of death remained unknown and that the bodies had been taken for medical examinations.

The incident has triggered action at the federal level, with the Federal Government suspending the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and ordering a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

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