No fewer than 33 illegal miners arrested and detained by the Niger state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been reported dead in cell.
The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye confirmed the incident in a statement Thursday evening claiming that the suspects arrested for illegal mining died of strange disease.
However, it was learnt that the deceased suspects were arrested at an illegal mining site around M.I Wushishi estate and Lukoto village and taken in to the custody a congested cell.
A survivor simply identified as Abdullahi told journalists that a total of 65 persons were arrested during the NSCDC raid while 6 were hospitalized, adding that, ” we were jam packed in the custody without ventilation making it difficult to breathe leading to the death of the colleagues”.
A press statement issued by Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye
NSCDC and recirculated by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Niger State Police Command , SP Wasiu Abiodun claimed strange disease outbreak.
He said, ‘The NSCDC command in Niger state in its renewed efforts to rid the state of illegal mining activities, conducted a “burst operation” on 15th and 16th September, 2026, leading to the arrest of suspected illegal miners and the recovery of exhibits. However, in the early hours of 17th September, 2026, scores of the detained suspects were found dead, following a suspected outbreak of disease”.
He said that the corpses of the deceased suspects have been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for further medical examination to establish the actual cause of their death.
He said that the Corps, in synergy with sister security agencies, is on top of the situation, while appealing to the general public and the families of the deceased to remain calm and desist from any actions that could lead to a breakdown of law and order in the state.
