RismadarVoice Reporters
September 19, 2026
Parents of some artisanal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, have called for compensation for the bereaved families.
The parents said compensation would provide some relief to the affected families and help promote accountability among law enforcement personnel.
The deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody have triggered investigations by authorities, while the exact cause of the fatalities remains under investigation.
One of the bereaved parents, 50-year-old Musa Aliyu, said he lost two sons, Ibrahim, 17, and Abubakar, 12, in the incident.
Aliyu, who told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday that he had been battling illness for about a year, said his late children were major sources of support for his medical expenses.
He said the children left home peacefully on Wednesday for a mining site at the Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate but did not return.
According to him, his wife later learnt that some miners had been arrested and went to the Civil Defence office near the PDP Secretariat, where she met other relatives searching for their loved ones.
Aliyu said the family was subsequently informed that the children had died and was directed to the General Hospital to identify and collect their remains.
“These children helped me sustain my medication. They contributed money to buy drugs for me,” he said, while struggling to contain his emotions.
Another parent, Lawal Mohammad, said his 15-year-old son, Suleiman, was also among those who died.
Mohammad said he went to the NSCDC office after his son’s arrest to take food to him but was initially asked to return the following day.
He said that when he returned on Thursday morning, he was informed that his son had died.
“I was at the Civil Defence office when the bodies were brought out and loaded into ambulances,” Mohammad said.
He called for those responsible to be held accountable and urged the authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
“I am in pain, and I cannot forgive this. Those responsible should be made to pay compensation to serve as a lesson to others who abuse power,” he said.
Mohammad added that his son took up artisanal mining to earn a living and support the family.
Meanwhile, authorities have launched investigations into the deaths, with the Niger State Government constituting a committee of inquiry and ordering measures, including medical examinations and autopsies, to establish the circumstances and cause of the fatalities.
