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From: Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin; Tony John, Port Harcourt; Noah Ebije, Kaduna; Scholastic Hir, Makurdi; Okey Sampson, Umuahia and Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
On Thursday, September 16, 2026, Nigerians woke up to hear the bloodcurdling news of the death of 37 alleged illegal miners in the custody of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Minna, the Niger State capital.
In this report, some Nigerians urged the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the incident, make the report public; punish offenders, and adequately compensate the victims’ families.
FG should pay compensation to bereaved families -Lucky Isibor, journalist; Benin City
The reported death of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the NSCDC in Minna, Niger State, is a deeply disturbing development that calls for a transparent, independent and thorough investigation to establish exactly what happened and ensure that anyone found culpable is held accountable in accordance with the law.
Beyond the immediate investigation, the Federal Government must intensify efforts to stem the tide of illegal mining through stronger regulation and the provision of lawful economic alternatives for vulnerable communities that depend on artisanal mining.
The Federal Government should pay appropriate compensation and give other necessary support to the bereaved families.
Those found culpable must face justice – Muhammed Bawa Qaleeph, politician; Benin
The loss of 37 lives in Minna is a national tragedy that strikes at the very core of our humanity. Regardless of the allegations against them, no Nigerian should lose his or her life while in the custody of the state.
To ensure this never happens again, the Federal Government must urgently reform the holding protocols of our security agencies, instituting rigorous oversight and zero tolerance for custodial negligence.
To the grieving families, we owe more than mere condolences. The Federal Government must provide substantial financial compensation to support them in this dark hour. Crucially, an independent panel must be convened to investigate this incident, ensuring that those found culpable face the full weight of the law. True justice is the only way we can honour the dead and reassure the living.
Probe panel should find out owners of mining sites – Alhaji Tajudeen A. Tijjani, veteran journalist, Kaduna
As much as I will not support unlawful detention of suspects, I am also totally against any criminal acts. Before we give judgement or advice on the unfortunate incidents in Minna, Niger State, we should equally ask what might have pushed those young men into the act of alleged illegal mining.
The probe panel should also find the owners of the mining sites where the boys allegedly went to mine, and the beneficiaries of the illegal trade.
Unfortunately, instead of some persons sympathising with the nation over the tragedy, they turned the sorrow of the parents of the victims into unnecessary political gimmicks, instigating the boys on the streets to vandalise people’s property and burn some buildings in Niger State.
The NSCDC leadership on the other side have failed in their lawful duty. They would have saved the nation this agony if they had decided to call other security agencies in the state to keep some of the suspects in different detention cells to avoid overcrowding. This tells of the absence of synergy among the security operatives, as each of them are working differently, which should not be the case.
Investigation should not be swept under carpet – Isaiah Benjamin, president, SWAN
It is rather unfortunate that an agency saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property has become something else. The deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the hands of the NSCDC for whatever reason are unacceptable and outright condemnable.
Although the officers may have been remanded while investigation is ongoing, this investigation should not be swept under the carpet; its outcome should be made public. An autopsy should be thoroughly carried out on the bodies of the deceased with the view to finding out the remote and immediate cause of the death. Confession by some of the survivors should be independently investigated; sponsors of the young miners should also be fished out. The families of the deceased should be compensated accordingly by the relevant government authorities.
NSCDC officials found guilty must face strict criminal prosecution – Jackson Ojo, security expert; Port Harcourt
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To address this tragic incident, the Federal Government must fast-track the independent forensic investigation currently led by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and medical experts to uncover whether the 37 deaths resulted from a disease outbreak or severe cell overcrowding. Any NSCDC official found guilty of negligence, poor detention management, or human rights abuses must face strict criminal prosecution to serve as a public deterrent. For the grieving families, the government should immediately provide comprehensive financial compensation, psychological counselling, and legal support to help them navigate this profound loss while ensuring their demands for justice are transparently met.
To permanently prevent a recurrence, Nigeria’s security architecture requires systemic reforms that prohibit paramilitary agencies from holding suspects in sub-standard, ad-hoc detention rooms instead of formal, ventilated correctional facilities. Furthermore, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development should formalise artisanal mining through regulated cooperatives, addressing the root socio-economic drivers of illegal mining and replacing aggressive security raids with safer, community-backed compliance frameworks.
Authorities should investigate root causes -Bishop Timothy Kume, cleric; Makurdi
The Federal Government should checkmate the excesses of some security agencies, especially the overzealous ones. In a bid to enforce the law, most of them end up breaking the law by infringing on people’s fundamental human rights, denying them their rights completely and subjecting them to inhuman treatment.
Sometimes, they detain people unlawfully and subject them to inhuman treatment even before they are convicted.
Once you are arrested by some of these agencies, you are already treated as a convict. You can just imagine the number of persons who were probably kept in one cell and under what conditions.
The authorities should investigate the root causes and take preventive measures that will serve as a deterrent.
FG should ensure those culpable are punished – Samuel Baaki, retired police officer; Makurdi
The government should prevent a recurrence by ensuring that security agencies operate within their areas of responsibility. The police are specifically trained to investigate crimes, determine when suspects should be detained and understand the procedures governing detention. Other security agencies, such as the NSCDC should not take over the duties of the police when it comes to criminal investigations and detention. When they arrest someone suspected of committing a crime, they should hand the person over to the police for proper investigation and processing. So, the Federal Government should carry out a thorough investigation and ensure that all those culpable are punished. No one should be spared. They are people’s children and fathers as they may be. Government must get to the root of the matter.
For the families of the bereaved, it’s unfortunate because life has been lost, so no amount can assuage their pains. But the government should compensate the families. The loss of their loved ones cannot be reversed, but compensation and support from the government can help ease their pain and provide some assistance to the bereaved families.
NSCDC officials involved should be sanctioned accordingly – Iro Ogbaja, businessman; Umuahia
The rate at which we waste human lives in Nigeria is alarming. How would one explain the deaths of the 37 so-called illegal miners in Minna, Niger State? Instead of this tragedy, it could have been better if the culprits were allowed to go home free.
Government said it has set up a panel of enquiry to look into the immediate and remote causes of the incident. To say it the way it should be, that is a waste of time and resources because we already know how the 37 illegal miners died. Since the Civil Defence officials who were on duty when the incident happened have been identified, they should be sanctioned accordingly to serve as a deterrent to others.
FG should train, retrain NSCDC, others security personnel – Dr. Charles Chinekezi, public affairs analyst; Aba
What happened in Minna, Niger State, last week, where 37 illegal miners died while in the custody of the NSCDC is a sad development and should be roundly condemned by all. We have heard about attacks in the state, where several people have been killed by terrorists, and now those who should protect the people have turned to their killers.
Government should train and retrain not only NSCDC personnel, but also others saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property, to be able to respect human lives. Government should also build befitting facilities for the security agencies, big enough that they could accommodate their inmates, to avoid the Minna debacle.
Those found culpable should be identified, prosecuted – Alagoa Morris, activist; Yenagoa
It is unfortunate that in our clime, arrest and detention are immediately viewed as punishment even by the security agencies. This is so because, apart from denial of the victim’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom of movement; the facilities are grossly inadequate in terms of spaces and cleanness.
And so, it has since been normalised having Nigerians detained by security agencies in far below acceptable standards. Spaces, which ordinarily should contain five persons, would be used to lock up 30 or more persons. The mere thought of it alone is so horrifying that one finds it difficult to terms with that punitive system.
The government should not be swift in criminalising citizens, especially the youths, without showing any practical steps to provide for the unemployed.
Some of us joined the call for social security scheme to bridge the lacuna in unemployment years ago. Don’t forget, some of these youths are not engaged in mining for themselves alone; some are struggling to take care of aging poor parents too.
Finally, to serve as a deterrent, those on duty or are found culpable in one way or the other in what caused the death of those Nigerians should be identified and prosecuted.
