Precious Nwonu, Enugu

The suspended Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Aniviye, has apologised to the families of suspected illegal miners who died in custody, admitting that the incident could have been prevented.

Aniviye described the deaths as a “costly mistake” while testifying before the Justice Muhammad Muhammad Commission of Inquiry in Minna, which is investigating the incident that occurred in September 2026.

“A mistake has been made, but a very costly one. My apology to the parents of the deceased and to the people and government of Niger State,” he told the commission.

The former commandant, who served from August 25, 2025, until September 18, 2026, expressed regret that the deaths occurred under his watch.

He explained that the operation began after residents submitted written and oral complaints that mining activities at a site along the M. I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna were disrupting their community.

According to him, he visited the site on September 15, 2026, and directed the Head of Operations, Assistant Commandant of Corps Joha Achagwa, to act on the complaints.

The Mining Marshal Unit was subsequently deployed, leading to the arrest of suspected illegal miners during an operation on the evening of September 16.

Aniviye said he received a telephone call the following day informing him that some detainees had died in custody. He rushed to the command headquarters, where he found several bodies lying on the cell floor.

He added that he contacted Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, who directed that the bodies be taken to a hospital. He also notified the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services.

The suspended commandant further told the commission that arrangements had been made to arraign the suspects in court on September 17 before the deaths occurred.

However, testimony from the suspended head of the NSCDC legal unit, Assistant Commandant of Corps Stephen Tsado, raised questions about the handling of minors arrested during the operation.

Tsado said part of his responsibilities involved preparing case files, forwarding cases for prosecution and advising the commandant on legal matters.

He told the commission that he discovered some of the arrested suspects were minors and advised Aniviye to release them to their parents on bail.

“I advised him to grant them bail to their parents,” Tsado said, adding that he personally urged the commandant to act on the recommendation to protect the minors’ rights.

He, however, said he could not explain why the advice was not implemented.

The commission also heard from Nurse Maryam Etang of the NSCDC medical unit, who said she visited the detention cell as part of her routine duties on September 16 and 17.

Etang disclosed that one of the suspects was coughing seriously on September 17, around the time the bodies were being removed from the cell.

She also expressed shock at finding the body of one Emeka Emmanuel among the deceased, insisting that he was not among the miners arrested during the operation.

Her testimony raised questions about Emmanuel’s presence in the cell and the circumstances surrounding his death.

The commission is expected to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths, examine the treatment of detainees and establish whether there were lapses in the operation and the handling of suspects in custody.

In an earlier sitting, a mortician at Minna General Hospital told the panel that 33 bodies were delivered to the hospital’s mortuary. The figure differs from the 37 deaths reported by the Niger State Government and other authorities.

Governor Bago inaugurated a nine-member judicial commission of inquiry in September to investigate the deaths, which sparked protests in the state and prompted the governor to impose a 24-hour curfew in Minna.

President Bola Tinubu subsequently ordered a full and transparent investigation, warning that the government would not tolerate mass deaths resulting from official negligence, dereliction of duty or failure to protect people in public custody.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also announced the suspension of 20 NSCDC officers in connection with the incident.