The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Aniviye, following the deaths of several suspected illegal miners in the state.
The minister also directed a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, which reportedly occurred around the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna, the state capital, in the early hours of Thursday.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde.
According to the statement, the deceased were among suspected illegal miners arrested during enforcement operations carried out in parts of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026.
Tunji-Ojo described the incident as unfortunate and said the investigation would establish what led to the deaths.
He stated that the commandant under whose watch the incident occurred would remain suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We run a government whose ultimate priority is security of lives and we have worked to stay true to this,” the minister said.
He appealed to residents to remain calm and law-abiding while the investigation is conducted, stressing the need for a transparent process.
The minister also expressed condolences to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the families and relatives of the deceased.
Reports have indicated that at least 33 suspected illegal miners died while in custody, although the NSCDC has not officially confirmed a specific number of fatalities.
Following the incident, the NSCDC had earlier constituted an investigative panel to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The Corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the team was headed by the Deputy Commandant-General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation.
According to Afolabi, the panel was mandated to conduct a comprehensive investigation covering the physical condition of the suspects at the time of their arrest, their period in custody, the conditions under which they were detained, medical care provided to them and other factors that may have contributed to the deaths.
The NSCDC also urged the public to refrain from drawing conclusions about the cause of the deaths, noting that reports linking the fatalities to a particular disease had not been medically or scientifically established.
The Corps said any determination on the cause of death would be based on medical and laboratory findings from the investigation.
