Families Allege Mistreatment as 37 Suspected Illegal Miners Die in Nigerian Custody

The families of suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of Nigeria's Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in the north-central Niger state have accused officials of mistreating the detainees before their deaths.

Lawan Mohammed said his 25-year-old son Sulieman, a motorcycle mechanic, was on his way home when he and some friends were arrested by NSCDC personnel. He said he went to the facility the following morning to bring his son food, only to learn that he was dead.

"I had a lot of expectations for my son, but now (they have) been shattered completely," Mohammed said. "They chose to beat him up, burst his head open. His teeth were even falling out. I want the government to make sure that justice prevails."

Sulieman was found dead on Thursday in a cell that held 36 other detainees. A total of 67 people suspected of working as illegal miners were held in the cell, and 37 of them are believed to have died of suffocation, Niger state Gov. Umar Bago said on Friday. The suspects had been arrested between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The security agency initially blamed the deaths on a possible disease outbreak. An investigation is underway to determine the cause.

On Saturday, the Nigerian government named a 10-member committee drawn from the legal, security, mining and medical professions, and announced the suspension of 20 more NSCDC personnel. The head of the agency in Niger state had been suspended a day earlier.

"Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offense," interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said in a statement.

Saba Usman alleged that his son Usman Whalid, a student who did menial work, was mistreated in custody before he died. "When I saw him, he was really in a bad shape because he was beaten and was (stepped) on with boots," he said, adding that he had videos and pictures on his phone showing his son being stepped on and his teeth broken. Usman said his son and the others arrested had not committed a crime but "were framed."

Mubarak Dahiru, a survivor who appeared traumatized, said the detainees sweated profusely and pleaded with NSCDC officials for water and food, but their requests were ignored. "They beat us as if we were thieves. They also used their guns and hit us with them," he said.

Nigerian Bar Association president Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya described the deaths of 37 people in the custody of a government agency as an "event of the utmost gravity" that demands a thorough, independent, transparent and credible investigation.

Concerns about the treatment of suspects in Nigerian detention centres are long-standing. In 2025, the National Human Rights Commission said it received 371,622 complaints of rights violations, including unlawful arrest and detention, denial of justice and torture.

"It raises serious questions about detention standards, operational planning, accountability and respect for due process," said Kehinde Giwa, a security analyst at Lagos-based SBM Intelligence. "Even when arrests are lawful, suspects must be kept in safe conditions and given timely medical attention."

Illegal mining remains a challenge in Nigeria. Analysts have linked such activities in the country's north-central and northwest regions to armed gangs involved in kidnappings for ransom, claiming the groups receive funding from the illicit trade.