The NSCDC has confirmed that several suspects arrested during operations in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto were found dead in custody
By Solomon Dalung
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Published on September 18, 2026
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2 min read
Reports that 33 suspected illegal miners may have died while in NSCDC custody in Niger State should concern every Nigerian, regardless of how one feels about illegal mining.
The NSCDC has confirmed that several suspects arrested during operations in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto were found dead in custody. Reports from the General Hospital, Minna, put the number at 33. The Corps says a suspected disease outbreak may have been responsible, but the precise cause of death is yet to be medically established.
Once the state arrests a person, it assumes responsibility for that person’s safety. A suspect does not become a person without rights simply because he is accused of illegal mining.
That is why this investigation must go beyond announcing that an inquiry has been constituted.
The public deserves an independent, transparent and evidence-based determination of what happened.
There should be proper post-mortem examinations, medical and laboratory confirmation of the cause of death, a reconstruction of the timeline from arrest to death, and a clear examination of the conditions under which the suspects were detained.
Illegal mining is a crime the state has every right to confront. But enforcement of the law cannot mean suspension of the law.
The question is not whether these men were suspected illegal miners. The question is what happened to them after the state took them into its custody.
Thirty-three people reportedly dying in custody is too serious to be buried under an administrative statement.
We need the truth.
And if the truth establishes responsibility, we need accountability.
Solomon Dalung, Esq., is a former Nigerian Minister of Youth and Sports.
