Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Suberu Aniviye, following the deaths of suspected illegal miners held in the agency’s custody.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, directed the immediate suspension and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The incident reportedly occurred at the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna, the Niger State capital, in the early hours of Thursday.
The minister’s directive was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde.
According to the statement, the deceased suspects were among suspected illegal miners arrested during enforcement operations carried out in parts of the state on September 15 and 16, 2026.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as unfortunate and said the suspension of the state commandant would remain in place while the investigation lasted.
“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” the minister said.
He added that the government’s primary responsibility was to protect lives and maintain security.
“We run a government whose ultimate priority is security of lives and we have worked to stay true to this,” he said.
The minister appealed to residents to remain calm and obey the law while the investigation was conducted.
He also expressed his condolences to Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, as well as the families and relatives of those who died.
Reports had indicated that at least 33 suspected illegal miners died while in custody, although the NSCDC has not officially confirmed the exact number of fatalities.
The deaths had earlier prompted the NSCDC to establish an investigative panel to determine what led to the incident.
The corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, announced the investigation in a statement on Thursday.
He said the panel, headed by the Deputy Commandant-General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation, was tasked with carrying out a detailed inquiry into the deaths.
The investigation is expected to examine the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, their treatment while in custody, detention conditions, medical care provided and other factors that may have contributed to the fatalities.
The NSCDC also warned against drawing conclusions about the cause of death before the completion of medical and laboratory examinations.
The corps said claims linking the deaths to a particular disease had not been medically established and should therefore not be treated as confirmed.