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•Death of our children shall not go in vain – parents
• My son not a miner but died in detention –Trader
• Governor declares Sate Commandant persona non grata
• Shops, markets, offices, schools, banks shut, streets deserted
From John Adams, Minna
Fresh details have emerged on how 37 young artisan miners were allegedly left to suffocate to death while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, the Niger State capital, on Thursday.
It was gathered that 65 of the miners were arrested across various illegal mining sites within Minna, the state capital, on Monday and Tuesday, September 14 and 15, by operatives of the NSCDC and were held at its detention facility along David Mark Road in Minna.
It was gathered that the death of the young artisan miners was to purportedly avenge the death of an officer of the Civil Defence, Aminu Eshin, who was shot dead by some miners at Koropa, a suburb of Minna in Paikoro Local Government Area of the state, in July this year.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at about 2:00p.m., when operatives of the NSCDC Mining Marshal were conducting a routine patrol at the site.
The spokesperson for the state command of the corps, Abubakar Muti, who confirmed the killing of the officer by the miners on behalf of the then state commandant, said the operatives came under a coordinated and unprovoked attack after the suspects sighted them and attempted to resist the enforcement operation.
According to him, the patrol team called for reinforcement, but during the response operation, one of the responding officers was shot in the head by the suspected illegal miners.
Muti said the deceased officer was taken to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment but later succumbed to his injuries despite efforts by medical personnel to save his life.
Although some miners were also shot during the clash, the Civil Defence, it was gathered, had refused to let go of the incident and had vowed to deal with the miners.
However, before the killing of the officer in July this year, another personnel of the Civil Defence was also killed when illegal miners launched a deadly attack on a joint security patrol team in the state.
An operational Hilux vehicle belonging to the joint security task force was set ablaze during the bloody clash with the illegal miners.
The incident occurred on February 13, 2026, at Zuzungi village near Kataeregi in Bosso Local Government Area, when the joint team was carrying out a lawful duty to curb illegal mining activities in the state.
The patrol team comprised personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the NSCDC and local security operatives known as Anti-Drugs Control (ADC), working in collaboration with Millennium Metals Mining Company.
It was gathered then that officials of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, led by the Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma, alongside top ministry officials, had earlier visited the area on a sensitisation tour and warned residents and operators to desist from illegal mining.
However, acting on credible intelligence that illegal mining activities were still ongoing there, the joint security team stormed the area but met stiff resistance from the operators. The situation degenerated into a violent confrontation during which the security operatives were overpowered and the NSCDC officer was killed.
The opportunity to avenge the killings came handy on Thursday, barely two months after the death of the officer in July, an indigene of the state from Lapai Local Government Area.
It was gathered from a reliable source close to the command, who pleaded not to be mentioned, that unlike previous arrests, where parents and relations were allowed to come forward to secure the release of their wards after payment of an agreed fee, ranging from ₦5,000 to ₦10,000, all appeals and efforts to secure the release of the victims fell on deaf ears at the command.
This was corroborated by a parent of one of the deceased, who simply identified himself as Bawa, and told our correspondent that since his 17-year-old son, Abdullahi, was picked up on Tuesday morning, they were only allowed to bring food for him and were declined the opportunity to discuss his release.
“We brought food for him on Tuesday evening when we heard that he was in detention. We also brought food for him on Wednesday, both in the morning and in the evening, but on Thursday morning when we came, we were told to go to General Hospital, Minna, to identify him, that he was dead.
“Usually, when they are arrested, we are asked to bring money to bail them. I have bailed my son twice, with ₦5,000 on each occasion, and after that I warned him not to be involved in this mining business, but he continued.
“But since they were arrested, they (Civil Defence) refused to listen to us and refused to negotiate with us. They only allowed us to bring food for them,” he narrated.
Nevertheless, while the circumstances surrounding the death of the miners remain unknown, the Civil Defence, in a statement a few hours after news of the mass death spread like wildfire, claimed that the miners died as a result of an outbreak of disease.
This was immediately countered by one of the survivors, Dauda, who is currently receiving treatment at a government medical facility and said they were left to suffocate to death.
“We were jam-packed in a small cell, with no ventilation for us to breathe well. We could not even stretch our legs.
“All of a sudden, we realised that we could not breathe and we were all scampering for where to get fresh air. We even appealed to them several times and banged on the cell door, but they refused to answer us.
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“Even when we raised the alarm that some people were already dying because of suffocation, nobody answered us.
“In fact, they were watching us gasping for air to breathe and screaming for help, but they ignored us. They wanted us to die without poisoning or shooting us.
“Out of the 65 of us that were in the cell, they brought only six of us to the General Hospital. Where are the remaining 26 people if they claimed it is only 33 that died? We were 65 people that they arrested.”
It was gathered that the decision to allow the victims to suffocate to death was to exonerate the command from having a hand in their deaths, since autopsy results would not show anything.
Meanwhile, the 34 deceased miners were not the only victims who died in NSCDC custody on Thursday, as findings showed that other suspects also died while being detained.
Emeka Onyenichia narrated how his late son, 32-year-old apprentice, Emmanuel Emeka, died along with the miners.
According to Emeka, who could not control his tears, his son was arrested last Friday by the Civil Defence after his boss reported him over missing money.
The late Emmanuel, a married man with a child, was being held in detention without trial for six days before his death on Thursday.
“My son was not among the miners; his case was different. His master reported him to the Civil Defence over some missing money since Friday last week, and I have been going there, trying to settle the matter.
“I was with him on Wednesday, but unfortunately, when I came yesterday (Thursday), I was told to go to the General Hospital and identify my son because he was dead. I couldn’t believe myself because my son was healthy when I saw him on Wednesday,” he added.
Three other detainees, whose identities could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, were also among the dead victims.
Meanwhile, as the tension continued to mount over the deaths of the miners, the state governor, Umaru Bago, declared the state Commandant of the Civil Defence, Suberu Siyaka, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the state within 48 hours.
The governor consequently declared a 24-hour curfew in Minna, the state capital, as tension continued to build, in addition to setting up an investigative committee to ascertain the root cause of the deaths of the miners.
The governor, at a press conference in Minna, also revealed that the Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, is to chair the committee, with the Commissioner for Homeland Security, Maurice Magaji, as secretary.
Bago said forensic analysis and autopsies would be carried out on the victims to determine the exact cause of death and consequently take necessary action.
He stated that the State Commandant of the NSCDC and his team had also been suspended by the NSCDC Commandant-General to pave the way for proper investigation.
Bago, who described the incident as unfortunate and tragic, condoled with the families of all those who lost their lives and reassured them that the government would get to the root of the matter.
He said his government values the lives of its citizens and, as such, would not tolerate any kind of injustice and would ensure that the incident was probed to a logical conclusion.
The governor equally revealed that the state government was taking a register of the families of those who lost their lives, would commiserate with them and appealed to them to be patient, as his administration would do its best to find the remote causes of the incident.
Bago also declared that all illegal mining activities across Minna should be closed down and anyone found flouting the order would be prosecuted, while experts from Abuja would be invited to carry out analysis at the site.
The governor also appealed to residents of the state, especially the youth, to remain calm, not take the law into their hands and allow the relevant authorities to take charge.
The governor also ordered the suspension of the flag-off campaign for his re-election in 2027, earlier scheduled for Saturday, and declared three days of mourning for the victims.
Also reacting to the incident, APC chieftain in the state, Jonathan Vatsa, described the deaths as genocide and called for justice to be served on those found culpable in the deaths of the miners. He described the handling of the matter by the Civil Defence as unprofessional, stressing that at the end of the investigation, Nigerians must know what happened because this is one incident too many.
In addition, shops, markets, schools, banks and government offices were shut down as violent demonstrations spread across parts of Minna by angry youth.
Government vehicles, private and commercial vehicles were vandalised by the rampaging youth, who vowed to avenge the deaths of the miners.
NSCDC offices within the state capital remained shut, except for the command headquarters, which was beefed up with additional security.
A joint security task force has taken over the capital to enforce the 24-hour curfew declared by the governor, even as major streets remained deserted.
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