FG suspends Niger NSCDC commandant over deaths of 37 miners

The Federal Government has suspended Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Niger State, following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the agency’s custody.

The government also ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, which occurred in the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna.

The suspects were arrested during enforcement operations conducted by the NSCDC in parts of the state on September 15 and 16, 2026, as part of efforts to curb illegal mining.

The suspension was announced on Friday in a statement by Alao Babatunde, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The minister said the commandant under whose watch the incident occurred would remain suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

“It is an unfortunate incident; however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He urged the public to remain calm and law-abiding to allow for a transparent investigation, while commiserating with Niger State Governor Umaru Bago and the families of the deceased.

Earlier, Aniviye said scores of detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of September 17 following a suspected outbreak of disease.

He said the corpses had been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to establish the actual cause of death.

The NSCDC Commandant-General, Ahmed Abubakar, also directed the constitution of a high-powered investigative team to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The team, led by the Deputy Commandant-General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation, will examine the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, their period in custody, detention conditions, medical attention provided and other relevant circumstances surrounding the deaths.