Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago stated on Friday 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.
NSCDC operatives arrested the miners during 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 linked the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak. However, Governor Bago said the exact cause had not been established. Authorities examined possible suffocation from overcrowding as well as exposure to hazardous substances tied to 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.
Medical, forensic and biological teams collected samples to support the investigation. Meanwhile, Niger State NSCDC Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye was suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
Survivors described extreme overcrowding and heat inside the cell. Dauda Shehu, one of those held, said 66 people were placed in one cell. He and others complained that the space was too small, yet their appeals went unanswered.
“We complained that the cell was too small to accommodate all of us, but they did not listen to us. We watched our colleagues die, and even when we raised the alarm, they thought we were lying. We drank urine because we couldn’t access water due to heat,” Shehu stated from a hospital bed.
Another survivor reported that detainees banged on the door for air and water but received no response. Some survivors were later taken to hospital for treatment.
Governor Bago described the incident as tragic and stressed the need for swift autopsies and examination of the officers involved in the arrests. Federal authorities ordered a full investigation into the matter.
