RismadarVoice Reporters
September 23, 2026
A survivor of the incident in which 37 suspected miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State has recounted the moments leading up to the deaths.
AbdulSalam Yakubu, an internally displaced person from Allawa, said he and other miners began sweating shortly after they were detained, before some of those in custody started collapsing.
Yakubu said his friend, identified as Safiyanu, was the first person he saw collapse.
“After they locked us up, a few minutes later, we started sweating, and some people started collapsing. My friend, Safiyanu, was the first to collapse, and we started fanning him,” Yakubu said.
He said other detainees subsequently collapsed as the situation deteriorated.
Yakubu was among those arrested during operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities around the Wushishi-Lukoto axis of Minna.
He said farming had been the main occupation of residents of his community before insecurity forced them from their homes.
According to him, some displaced residents subsequently turned to artisanal mining as a means of earning a livelihood.
Yakubu claimed that miners paid ₦150,000 to farmland owners in Lukoto before being permitted to operate at the site.
He also alleged that security personnel assaulted him during the arrest, leaving him with injuries around his eyes.
The survivor further alleged that cash amounting to about ₦1.135 million, gold, mobile phones and motorcycles belonging to the miners were taken during the operation.
The allegations have not been independently established.
The 37 deaths have prompted investigations into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of the miners.
The NSCDC had initially said the detainees were found dead following a suspected disease outbreak, while the Federal Government subsequently ordered an investigation to establish what happened.
The Niger State NSCDC commandant was suspended following the incident, while personnel linked to the operation have also been detained for investigation.
Authorities have yet to announce a definitive cause of the deaths.
