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The Niger State Government has disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) cell before 37 of them died in custody.
The miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago disclosed the details while addressing journalists in Minna on Friday as investigations continued into the deaths.
Bago said the exact cause of death had not been established, but authorities were examining possible suffocation linked to overcrowding as well as exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities.
“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.
The governor said medical, forensic and biological teams had been deployed to collect samples to assist the committee investigating the incident.
He stressed the need for autopsies and other examinations to be completed quickly so that authorities could establish what caused the deaths.
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“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.
Bago described the death of 37 people as significant and urged authorities to expedite the investigation.
“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 governor also said experts had been brought in to examine the possibility of radiological exposure at the mining site.
The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak after the detainees were found dead in the early hours of September 17. The Corps later clarified that the actual cause had not been established and that medical and laboratory examinations were required.
The Federal Government has since ordered a full investigation into the incident and suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, along with key officers pending the outcome of the probe.
Bago said the state government would continue working with security agencies and medical experts to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and urged the public to remain calm while the investigation continues.
