The Renevlyn Development Initiative and Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) have urged the Federal Government to carry out a detailed investigation into the suspicious deaths of 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The civil society organisations expressed shock and described the incident as a grave matter of public interest and a serious human-rights concern, particularly because the deceased were reportedly under state custody and, consequently, under the responsibility of the authorities for their safety and wellbeing
The NSCDC had reported that on September 15 and 16, 2026, it carried out a “burst operation” in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto Village, an area known for small-scale gold mining activities, to curb illegal mining.
According to unverifiable sources, the arrested suspects numbered about 65 and were crammed into the paramilitary agency’s facility.
Thirty-seven of them were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, under conditions that the agency termed a suspected outbreak of disease.
RDI said the NSCDC’s claim of a suspected disease outbreak was in itself suspicious, noting that the agency cannot claim expertise in combating illegal mining and also in the work of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which is tasked with determining disease outbreaks.
Philip Jakpor, RDI Executive Director, described the deaths as totally unacceptable.
“The deaths of the artisan miners under the watch of the NSCDC are totally unacceptable. It is not even the responsibility of the agency to build detention centers where victims are crammed to show it is delivering on its mandate. That is supposed to be the function of the Nigeria Police. That is why we insist that this incident cannot be swept under the carpet. We are talking about 37 young men who were hale and hearty when they were apprehended,” Jakpor said.
He stressed that the scenario is even more disturbing because the artisan miners are not the big players behind illegal mining operations across the federation who rake in profits and are never arrested.
“Arresting artisan miners trying to eke out a living cannot be a big burst when the big players walk freely on the streets. We need to know what the young men were mining; who owns the particular sites where they were apprehended or if the deaths were the silencing of pawns to shield some powerful individuals,” Jakpor said.
He recommended that an autopsy be conducted immediately to determine the cause of the deaths, with the findings made public so that Nigerians can get a full picture of what happened.
Similarly, the CFSF called for a high-level, independent, impartial and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances and exact causes of the deaths.
Comrade Sani Baba Mohammed, Executive Director of CFSF stater that the “investigation should examine the conditions of detention, access to food, water and medical care, and whether negligence, abuse or any other violation of the detainees’ fundamental rights occurred.”
Mohammed strongly reminds all law-enforcement agencies that being arrested or suspected of committing an offence does not strip a person of his or her fundamental human rights.
“Every detainee must be treated with dignity, humanity and utmost respect, irrespective of the allegations against them,” he added.
While noting that CFSF does not condone illegal mining or environmental destruction, Mohammed stressed that enforcement must be accompanied by economic inclusion, youth empowerment, community development and responsible management of Nigeria’s natural resources.
The ED of CFSF called for an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths as well as credible forensic examinations and autopsies where necessary.
Mohammed also demanded for the “immediate review of detention conditions and procedures; and greater attention to the socio-economic drivers of illegal and hazardous mining.”
