NSCDC Detains 24 Officers Over Deaths of 37 Miners in Custody

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has detained 24 of its personnel, including a suspended state commandant, in connection with the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in its custody in Niger State. The detentions were announced by the NSCDC spokesperson, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, on Sunday, September 20, 2026. The personnel are being held at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja for interrogation and administrative disciplinary action. They include the suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Subaru Siyaka Aniviye, and other officers from the state command. The NSCDC stated that all officers and men of the Niger State Command linked to the incident had been taken into protective custody since September 17, 2026. The Federal Government has established a 10-member independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the miners' deaths. The committee was formed following a directive from President Bola Tinubu for a comprehensive and transparent investigation. The cause of the deaths has not been conclusively established.