Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago has revealed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps cell before 37 of them died in custody.
The miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16, 2026.
The NSCDC initially blamed the deaths, discovered early on September 17, on a suspected disease outbreak. It later said the cause was still unknown and would be determined through medical and laboratory tests.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Friday, Bago said possible causes being examined included suffocation from overcrowding and exposure to dangerous substances linked to mining.
“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.
He said medical, forensic and biological teams were collecting samples for the investigation and called for autopsies to be completed quickly.
Bago also urged responsible mining, including the use of protective gear and continuous public awareness about mining dangers.
“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.
He said experts were also checking possible radiological exposure at the site.
“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.
The Federal Government has suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye and ordered a full investigation.
