[FULL LIST] FG suspends 20 NSCDC officers over miners’ deaths, constitutes investigation committee

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and 20 other officers following the reported deaths of 37 people in the Corps’ custody.

The officers were suspended pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

The Ministry of Interior announced the suspensions in a statement signed by the minister on Saturday.

According to the statement, the suspension came alongside the establishment of a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident.

The committee is expected to identify the deceased and examine the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, as well as the cause of their deaths.

The minister also tasked the committee with determining responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, while recommending appropriate action and compensation where applicable.

The Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Aniviye, had previously been suspended.

The 20 other NSCDC officers suspended are:

O/C Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka
Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed
Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed
Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday
Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis
Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino
HOD INT/INV, DCC Philip Ajayi
O/C Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado
Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed
Guard Duty, IC Abdullahi Sale
Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Sonfada
Guard Duty, CAI Liman Abubakar
Guard Duty, CAI Bala Usman
Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Jiya
Guard Duty, DSC Isah Suleiman
Guard Duty, CAI Ahmed Wushishi
Guard Duty, IC Sale Adamu
Guard Duty, IC Haruna Mohammed
Guard Duty, ASCI Aliyu Sallah
Guard Duty, CAI Isah Sanusi

The 37 deceased were among scores of suspected illegal miners arrested by the NSCDC Niger State Command during enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16.

The Corps said the operation was part of efforts to curb illegal mining activities and that various exhibits were recovered during the arrests.

The following day, some of the detainees were found dead while in NSCDC custody in Minna.

The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak and said the bodies had been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to determine the actual cause of death.

However, the cause of the deaths remained unconfirmed.

A survivor, Dauda Shehu, told journalists that detainees had been kept in a poorly ventilated cell where they struggled to breathe. His account has not been established as the official cause of death.

Another survivor alleged that a substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside an overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing.

The deaths triggered protests in Minna, prompting the Niger State Government to impose a curfew following the unrest.

Governor Umar Bago also confirmed the death toll and ordered a state-level inquiry into the incident.

Following the incident, President Bola Tinubu directed a comprehensive investigation.