RDI Demands Probe Into Deaths of 37 Miners in NSCDC Custody in Niger
The deaths of 37 alleged illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State have triggered calls for an independent investigation into what happened to the men after their arrest.
The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), in a statement issued in Lagos on Friday, September 18, urged the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths, describing the incident as deeply troubling and one that should not be allowed to disappear without clear answers.
The development followed an operation reportedly conducted by the Niger State Command of the NSCDC on September 15 and 16 at M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto Village, an area associated with small-scale gold mining activities.
The NSCDC reportedly said it arrested suspected illegal miners during the operation. RDI said unverified reports indicated that about 65 people were arrested and taken to an NSCDC facility, where 37 were later found dead in the early hours of Thursday, September 17.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear. The NSCDC reportedly attributed them to a suspected disease outbreak, a claim RDI has questioned and urged the authorities to subject to independent medical investigation.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, while reacting to the incident on September 17, reportedly described it as “sad and tragic.”
For RDI Executive Director, Philip Jakpor, the number of deaths makes the incident too serious to be treated as an ordinary operational matter.
“The deaths of the artisan miners under the watch of the NSCDC are totally unacceptable,” Jakpor said.
He questioned the circumstances under which the detainees were held and called for accountability, noting that the men were reportedly healthy when they were arrested.
Jakpor said: “We are talking about 37 young men who were hale and hearty when they were apprehended.”
Beyond the immediate deaths, RDI also raised questions about the wider illegal mining economy, arguing that enforcement actions often affect artisanal miners at the bottom of the chain while the more powerful interests allegedly benefiting from illegal mining remain difficult to identify or prosecute.
“Arresting artisan miners trying to eke out a living cannot be a big burst when the big players walk freely on the streets,” Jakpor said.
He called for authorities to establish what the men were mining, identify the owners or operators of the mining sites where they were arrested and determine whether anyone else may have played a role in the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The group also called for immediate autopsies to establish the actual cause of death and urged that the findings be made public.
For families and communities potentially affected by the deaths, the demand goes beyond the question of illegal mining. It is also about knowing what happened to relatives who left home to work and did not return.
RDI therefore urged the Federal Government to ensure that the circumstances surrounding all 37 deaths are independently established and that any person or institution found responsible is held accountable.
The group maintained that the incident must not be swept under the carpet, particularly given the unusually high number of deaths recorded among people reportedly held in state custody.
